The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recently concluded its first voter registration weekend, which saw an impressive turnout of more than 2.9 million eligible voters across the country.
The purpose of the registration weekend was to allow citizens to register for the upcoming national general election in 2024 or update their personal details to ensure their vote is accurately counted.
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Out of the total number of registered voters, 196,511 individuals utilized the online portal to complete their registration. The IEC reported that the registration activity over the two days reached a total of 2,904,037.
Among the registrants, 568,374 were first-time voters, accounting for 19.57% of the total registration activity. Additionally, 1.4 million voters re-registered in the same voting district, while 929,564 individuals re-registered in a different district.
The provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape recorded the highest number of registration transactions. Gauteng led the way with 610,948 registrations, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 559,933 and the Eastern Cape with 516,547.
The remaining provinces also saw significant registration numbers: Limpopo (332,557), Mpumalanga (225,074), Western Cape (227,620), North West (184,902), Free State (173,612), and Northern Cape (72,844).
With the conclusion of the registration weekend, the voters’ roll now includes 26.8 million registered voters, marking an increase from the previous 26.3 million. The province of Gauteng remains home to the majority of the country’s population, as well as the largest voting block, with 6.2 million registered voters.
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An encouraging trend observed during the registration weekend was the high participation of young people in the age category of 16-29. Out of the 568,374 new voters, 445,089 (78.31%) fell within this age range.
The IEC acknowledged the importance of focusing on young individuals and expressed its commitment to further improving the registration levels of the youth. Of the new registrations, 298,500 (52.52%) were female, highlighting the active participation of women in the electoral process.
The IEC also noted that the updated and upgraded Voter Management Devices (VMD) significantly expedited the processing of voter registration applications. The VMD allowed for the swift capture of address details onto the voters’ roll, a task that would have previously taken months.
While the registration weekend was largely successful, the IEC acknowledged that some online registrations were marked as “pending.” This occurred when the system could not read or recognize the uploaded ID image or when an image other than an ID was submitted.
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The IEC urged voters to exercise caution and follow the system prompts when uploading their ID images. The online registration portal remains accessible for citizens to update their particulars and register to vote.
The IEC also encouraged those who manage frail-care facilities and other similar institutions to reach out and arrange a visit for voter registration. Additionally, individuals who were confined to their homes were invited to apply for a visit to register at their residence.
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