IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo announces June voter registration weekend ahead of local government elections.
Yolanda Mdzeke/ News24
The IEC will hold a voter registration weekend for the local government elections on 20 and 21 June.The election date will be proclaimed by Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa after registration concludes.The IEC has called on voters to register in their area of residence,as local elections are held within specific wards.
The Electoral Commission (IEC) will hold a voter registration weekend for the local government elections on 20 and 21 June.
This was announced by IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo at a press briefing in Centurion on Tuesday.
Mamabolo told journalists the IEC anticipates that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa will proclaim an election date once voter registration is completed that weekend.
This means South Africans will have to wait until June to know exactly when they will head to the polls.
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Mamabolo said the announcement was to maximise registration opportunities closer to where voters reside.
“The intended outcome of the registration weekend is to facilitate access to franchise and broaden electoral participation. The timing of this registration weekend aligns with the current planning assumption,namely,that the commission must stand ready to administer elections whenever they are lawfully called,” Mamabolo said.
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He said this alignment ensures procedural certainty,operational readiness and full compliance with the legal framework.
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“Following the completion of the process of voter registration,we anticipate the proclamation of the election date by the Cogta minister.
“Once the election date is proclaimed,eligible voters will have until midnight on that same day to register to vote. The proclamation of the election date will formally trigger the performance of activities that underpin the election timetable,” he added.
He said these included the certification and publication of the voters’ roll,inspection of the voters’ roll,lodging of objections,consideration and adjudication of objections by the commission,submission of candidate nominations,and the applicable cut-off dates.
Mamabolo added:
The commission’s position is that an early announcement of an election date is critical to allow South Africans to decide where they will be on voting day,as this directly determines where they register.
“For instance,a student studying in one province but ordinarily residing in another must know whether they will be on campus or at home when the country votes,” Mamabolo said.
He said that clarity ensures they register correctly and avoids unnecessary administrative complications closer to election day.
“In a local government election,there is no legal facility to vote outside of the voting station of registration. This is a necessary requirement as it ensures that voters vote in a ward election that has a relationship with their place of ordinary residence. In other words,voters vote for ward councillors to represent the communities in which they live,” Mamabolo said.
IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo announces June voter registration weekend ahead of local government elections.
Yolanda Mdzeke/ News24
He said talks with Hlabisa on the election date were at an advanced stage. The IEC previously stated that factors under consideration included the weather and matric examinations,among other things.
“This election has to happen between November and January; it is not an optimal time to have an election because of the holidays and exams. The minister has to apply his mind and choose the least disruptive date,” Mamabolo said.
He said the Constitutional Court had already decided on this,and the IEC had to oblige and deliver an election in that period.
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