Parliament, Saturday 18 November 2023 – Parliament calls on all South Africans who are eligible to vote to make sure they are registered so that they can vote in the 2024 provincial and national elections.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has set aside this weekend, 18 and 19 November, as the registration weekend to enable all people who are eligible to vote to either register for the first time or if they have moved since the last election, to go register in their new voting districts.
“South Africa is a representative democracy and the only way to elect one’s representative is through the ballot. We therefore encourage all those who are eligible to vote to please go out and ensure that their names are on the voters roll for next year’s elections,” said the Presiding Officers, led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo.
Next year, the country will be celebrating 30 years since all South Africans queued at the ballot box for the first time to exercise their democratic right to vote and choose who represents them in Parliament. Prior to the first democratic elections in 1994, voting was reserved for the white minority.
Today, voting remains one crucial way in which voters can have a say on the issues they care about.
“We would like to remind South Africans that voting remains the single most important way to make their voices heard on issues that concern them. Voting gives every eligible voter an opportunity to be part of the decision-making process, especially on issues that directly affects their lives,” said the Presiding Officers, adding that if eligible voters do not ensure that their names are on the voters’ roll, they will not be able to vote next year. This will mean that others will make decisions about who represents them on their behalf.
The Electoral Amendment Act that Parliament passed, and the President signed into law on 17 April 2023, signifies the growth and maturity of South Africa’s democracy as it “expands electoral participation and widens the pool of leadership choice for national and provincial elections”.
Some of the changes brought about by the new Act includes, amongst others, the inclusion and nomination of independent candidates to contest elections for a seat in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures for the first time; the requirements which must be met by persons who wish to be nominated as independent candidates; the inspection of copies of lists of independent candidates and accompanying documents; provision for objections to independent candidates; and the inclusion of a list of independent candidates entitled to contest elections.
The IEC appeared before the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs this week and assured MPs that all systems are in place to ensure that all eligible voters can register during this voter registration weekend.
In addition to in-person registration at voting stations the IEC has made it possible for eligible voters to apply usingan Online Voter Registration Service and the documents required are the green bar-coded ID book, the smartcard ID, or a valid temporary identity certificate.
According to the IEC, all those eligible to vote can register to vote, or check and update their registration address, in one of three ways until proclamation of the 2024 Elections:
1. Online at registertovote.elections.org.za
2. At the voting station for your voting district on the registration weekend on 18 and 19 November 2023, 8am to 5pm
3. At your local IEC office weekdays during office hours. Find local office details at www.elections.org.za/pw/About-Us/Find-IEC-Local-Offices
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
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