The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) warned South African voters that it was likely that the May 18 election date would be proclaimed in the Government Gazette in the coming week, meaning voters who had not registered would be unable to vote.
South Africans were urged to take advantage of the last voter registration weekend by IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam at a news conference in Centurion, Pretoria, on Saturday.
By law, South Africans had to be registered to vote by the time that the election was proclaimed in the Government Gazette, which Bam said she expected to happen in the coming week.
“Never let an opportunity go without using it,” she said, urging potential voters to visit one of the 20, 864 voting stations available.
Before the weekend there were 23 181 997 registered voters. Bam said she hoped that before the voters’ roll was closed there would be 24-million registered voters — the most to date.
Voting stations would close on Sunday at 5pm. – Sapa