Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
30th January 2024 | 15:00 CAT
3 min read

The Electoral Commission of South Africa prepares for the final registration weekend for the 2024 elections, including the registration of inmates at correctional centres across all provinces.

South Africa’s 23,296 voting stations will be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, February 3 and Sunday, February 4, 2024. This will allow new voters to register and existing voters to check and update their registration details if needed.

The Provincial Electoral Officer for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Ntombifuthi Masinga, highlighted the IEC’s efforts to prepare new voters for the electoral process. Masinga explained that the IEC has been visiting tertiary education institutions since they opened to ensure that all new voters have the opportunity to register. The IEC has taken advantage of orientation week at all institutions across all provinces, as students carry their student cards and ID documents on those days.

The Constitution of South Africa guarantees the right to vote for every eligible adult citizen, even if they are currently incarcerated in a correctional facility. Inmates have been exercising this right without exception since the general elections in 1999. However, in order to register as a voter, one must have a green barcoded ID, a smartcard ID, or a valid TIC. Therefore, family members of inmates are requested to arrange for the delivery of any of these required forms of identification.

“We launched a 3-day campaign, starting from today, to register prisoners at all prisons nationwide. Although they may be ineligible to vote in local elections, they are eligible for national and provincial elections as per the law,” said Masinga.

According to Masinga, prior to the prison registration process, security measures are intensified and a significant amount of preparation is carried out to ensure that all security measures are in place before the IEC team enters the prison.

“When we visit prisons, the only people who we administer are the prisoners themselves, the wardens and other prison staff members are like any other SA citizen who should register and vote in their districts. At the prison, one party agent representing multiple political parties is allowed to observe the process. The prisoners are managed in a specific area within the facility, such as a hall. When you are admitted to a prison in KZN, you become a temporary resident of KZN, and as a result, you will receive the appropriate ballots for KZN,” explained Masinga.

After the recent bad weather, the IEC assessed all its voting stations ahead of this weekend. They noted that some stations have been damaged, but not to the extent that they cannot be used as shelters during voter registration.

“The Department of Education has been repairing schools that were damaged to ensure that they are ready for the upcoming school year. Similarly, the Department of Transport had to rehabilitate some access routes that people use to get to the voting stations. Although there was damage caused by flooding, it was not severe enough to prevent people from registering to vote,” added Masinga.

“People who do not have access to the internet will have a final chance to register or update their registration details on the weekend when all voting stations will be open. Apart from that, our online platform will remain open until the government announces the election date,” said Masinga.

Masinga reiterated the IEC’s efforts to advise students to register online and encourage them to be on the voter’s roll. They regularly remind students of this when running programs at colleges.

Registration information

• Citizens aged 16 years and older can register to vote with a South African identity document, including a green barcoded ID book, smartcard ID, or a valid temporary ID certificate.
• The online system for registering voters (https://registertovote.elections.org.za) is available until the election is proclaimed.
• Visit the Electoral Commission website (elections.org.za) to check registration details and voting station.

 

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and IEC’s Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga here.