South Africans who have not yet registered to vote or need to update their details, have been urged to do so during the final voter registration weekend on 1 and 2 August.
The Electoral Commission (IEC) said it had completed its preparations for the final voting station-based registration opportunity, with 23 699 voting stations set to operate across the country from 8am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
IEC Chief Executive Officer Sy Mamabolo called on eligible voters to use the opportunity to secure their place on the voters’ roll, ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
“The Commission calls on all eligible South Africans who have not yet registered as voters; those who are registered but have not yet inspected their address details for completeness, or those who have moved residence since they last registered, to use this final opportunity to secure their place on the voters’ roll,” Mamabolo said.
The IEC will deploy 48 212 trained electoral officials to assist voters with registration, updating their details and verifying their registration information.
The Commission has also adjusted its voting district arrangements following an assessment of voter activity during the first registration weekend, reducing the number of districts from 23 706 to 23 699.
During the first registration weekend on 20 and 21 June, more than three million registration transactions were recorded.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has also urged citizens to take part in the final registration drive, stressing that active participation is essential to improving local government.
“Go and vote for people who will serve you. It is not going to help to complain if you don't participate in selecting who should be your candidate,” Hlabisa said.
He said the quality of local government depended largely on the calibre of councillors elected to serve communities.
“If we want to fix municipalities, we must fix who becomes a councillor. That is the bottom line,” Hlabisa said.
Hlabisa also urged voters to participate in the candidate nomination process and elect leaders who will ensure that municipal funds are directed towards essential services and priority needs.
The Department of Home Affairs will align its operating hours with the registration weekend to assist eligible voters who require identity documents.
Following the final registration weekend, the IEC anticipates that the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will proclaim the date of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
Mamabolo said the voters’ roll would close at midnight on the day the election is proclaimed.
Thereafter, no new registrations or changes to existing voter details will be permitted until after the elections, and the IEC will cease registration drives and deactivate its online registration portal. – SAnews.gov.za
