The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says the success of day one of the second voter registration weekend proves that South Africans remain engaged with the affairs of the country.
This is the final voter registration weekend at voting stations. However, voter registration at IEC local offices and on the online portal will remain open until President Cyril Ramaphosa proclaims an election date.
Briefing the media on the progress made on day one of the voter registration weekend, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Shiburi says, “Today alone, the online voter registration portal recorded over 20 525 transactions. Of those, 7 234 were new registrations. The platform remains available 24 hours a day until the day on which the date of the election is proclaimed by the President. This weekend’s important registration activity comes on the back of two major achievements by the Electoral Commission and these are that the national voters’ roll has for the first time exceeded the 27-million mark voter registrations. Secondly, the online registration platform continues to yield a return on investments.”
Media Briefing – Progress on Day 1 Voter Registration Weekend https://t.co/X98igUePqI
— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) February 3, 2024
IEC National Registration Weekend | Natasha Phiri updates on 1st day of voter registration drive:
Whilst this weekend may be the last registration drive conducted by the IEC, voter registration will continue until the proclamation of the elections by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africans who are eager to vote, can register via the IEC’s online platform or at the IEC offices across the country.
Disruption
The Electoral Commission in KwaZulu-Natal says several incidents have marred voter registration in the province. The IEC says officials failed to gain access to at least eight voting stations but managed to resolve the matters, for registration to continue.
The voting stations affected were in Camperdown, Richmond, Pietermaritzburg, Ulundi and Richards Bay.
In another incident in Pietermaritzburg, a person was arrested for allegedly stealing voter management devices from an electoral official’s car. The devices were later recovered.
And in Howick, the registration process was disrupted at a voting station at KwaNxamalala Hall, KwaZulu-Natal midlands. This is after a mentally unstable person entered the voting station armed with an axe.
IEC district officer Khulekani Mdadane says all officials had to run for their lives and the station had to be closed.
Mdadane explains, “A process came to a standstill in one of the stations in Howick at KwaNxamalala hall when a mentally retarded person came to the voting station with an axe and chase everyone out of the voting station including SAPS. It was an unfortunate situation, the process had to be stopped for a while but unfortunately, it was close to the closing time.”
The IEC says despite these few incidents, it was happy with the number of voters who visited voting stations to verify their details. -Additional reporting by Mlondi Radebe
