JOHANNESBURG – The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says that it is satisfied with the running of its last voter registration weekend and is encouraged by the number of young and first-time voters who registered.
The IEC says that specific data on how many new voters have registered will be released when the roll is closed, and election day is proclaimed by the president.
However, several stations were affected by protests related to service delivery issues in various areas in each province on Saturday morning.
It was a busy weekend at the IEC’s 22,925 voting stations where young and old came out in their numbers to either register or update their details.
The IEC notes that while on Saturday some stations could not operate due to protests and bad weather, Sunday was a better day with many stations working efficiently.
Spokesperson Kate Bapela says that the aim is to have 1 million more new voters registered when the roll closes.
“The next batch of registration that’s coming is for South Africans that are based abroad.”
Bapela says another round of registrations will take place at higher learning institutions.
The IEC says that from now on, voters will only be able to register at their local IEC office during working hours and only for a brief period until the elections are proclaimed.
