The Electoral Commission (IEC) says it will be able to prepare comfortably for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of the election date as the 29th of May.
The Electoral Commission will now implement its elections roadmap towards the polls which will include the proclamation of the election date at a time not yet specified and the closing of the voters roll which currently stands at just over 27 million eligible voters.
“We are quite happy with the amount of time it gives us, we will be able to do all the processes and all the procedures together with political parties and independent candidates. We will be comfortable with the time period towards the 29th of May. Those who are not registered you still have an oppotunity to register either at the local offices of the IEC or online,” IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo explains.
Political reactions
DA leader John Steenhuisen has expressed his gratitude that the date for the 2024 elections has finally been announced. Steenhuisen says the DA is ready.
“We are very grateful the election date has finally been announced, we challenged the President on Saturday to release it so that we can get this election on the road. I think it is going to be a historic election. I think the DA meticulously prepared for this election. I’m very comfortable with where we are at on the polling and the hard work that is being done, particularly on registration. Our manifesto is launched and being favourably received and we are absolutely committed to bringing to an end the 30 years of ANC failure,”
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald has welcomed the declaration of the date. Groenewald says this will give certainty to the election campaigns of political parties but more importantly to eligible voters.
“It brings certainty to the voters of South Africa which is very important because you must remember that in this election you will only be able to vote in the voting station where you registered, now that they know that the date is the 29th of May, they can determine where they are going to be on that date. Many people travel to other provinces to work there they can still register that is very important, you must remember registration only ends on proclamation date which we do not know at this moment,” says Groenewald.
The EFF, via a statement, welcomed the “long overdue announcement” of the election date.
The party says, “These elections, mark an opportunity for all South Africans to put an end to the misery we have suffered as a nation, under the incompetent, corrupt and misguided governance of the ruling party the ANC, for 30-years. The 29th of May 2024, officially
marks an opportunity for our nation to achieve true freedom, which at the centre of it sits, Economic Freedom Fighters.”
