Just more than 21-million of a ”debatable” 27-million eligible voters are registered to vote in the coming local government polls, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chief electoral officer Pansy Tlakula said on Friday.
She was speaking after Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi formally gazetted March 1 for the election — a date known since November.
The gazetting means voter registration will close at 5pm on Friday.
Tlakula, who was earlier this week still urging people to register, said she is satisfied with the registration figures.
”I think we have done well,” she said. ”It’s a very large percentage of eligible people who have registered to vote.”
The figure of 27-million is debatable because it is based on the last census, and will likely have changed since then.
Tlakula said the proclamation of the election date means it is now ”all systems go”.
”That’s what we were waiting for as the IEC,” she said.
Once registration closes, IEC officials will have to download the day’s registrations from their scanners on to the computerised voters’ roll before the midnight deadline set by law.
The roll will be electronically checked against the population register, to ensure that all those who registered actually qualify to vote.
Tlakula will certify the finalised roll on January 11.
She will also this month be certifying the lists of candidates submitted to the IEC by political parties and independents.
Printing of ballot papers will also get under way in January.
She said there will be voting in 284 district, metro and local municipalities.
The provincial and local government ministry said the gazetting will help the IEC finalise logistical arrangements for the polls.
”Consequently, the voters’ roll will also close, meaning that only those persons who duly registered on the voters’ roll would be eligible to vote,” the ministry said.
Targeted registration was still taking place this week in selected voting districts as a result of what the IEC said were changes in ward boundaries. — Sapa