More than a million South Africans registered to vote in next year’s municipal elections during the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) final registration drive over the weekend.
The exact figure was 1 068 569, comprising 413 666 new registrations and 654 903 re-registrations, IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam told reporters in Pretoria.
This brings to 21-million the number of South Africans now on the voters’ roll, she said. The country has a population of 43-million to 44-million.
Bam said more than 600 000 voters inspected their details on the voters’ roll at the weekend.
Acting chief electoral officer Norman du Plessis presented a breakdown of the weekend’s registration figures, showing that 618 718 women registered, compared with 449 851 men.
The most registrations were in KwaZulu-Natal with 266 954 and the least were 32 623 in the Northern Cape.
Nationally, women aged between 26 and 39 showed the most registrations at 188 574, while men aged 18 and 19 showed the least at 16 621.
Khutsong, Matatiele and Bushbuckridge, which saw demonstrations during the registration period over municipal boundary shifts and service delivery, are being monitored.
”These areas, referred to as ‘flash points’, are being monitored on a daily basis.
”We are working with police to find out what is happening there, if there are toyi-toyis being planned,” said Bam. ”Police have been organised and have already decided in which areas they will increase their numbers.”
She said the safety of IEC staff is a priority, while emphasising that unrest in three out of more than 200 municipalities countrywide is a ”drop in the ocean”.
Although the election date of March 1 was announced last week by Minister of Local and Provincial Government Sydney Mufamadi, the date is still to be officially proclaimed and published in the Government Gazette.
”It will be up to the minister to decide when to proclaim the date, but of course there will be consultation with us,” Bam said. ”We hope the proclamation is made sometime in early January, as that would be the most convenient time for the commission in its planning.”
She said the Department of Home Affairs will decide whether the date will be a public holiday.
Following the proclamation of the date, the voters’ roll will then be closed and a publication date for the roll announced.
Parties and individuals wishing to contest the election will thereafter have the opportunity to apply and present lists of their candidates, the IEC said.
The party lists will then be certified by the IEC and returned to the parties, after which ballot papers will be compiled and printed.
Those who have yet to register may still do so at the office of their municipal electoral officer, during business hours. — Sapa