Pretoria - President Kgalema Motlanthe has declared 22 April 2008 a public holiday to allow South Africans to exercise their democratic right to vote.
The 2009 General Elections will be held on this day, which will be a Wednesday.
The Presidency announced on Thursday that President Motlanthe had declared 22 April 2009 as a public holiday throughout the Republic.
The declaration was made in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act 1994 (Act No. 36 of 1994).
Earlier this week the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) published the candidates' lists of political parties that will be contesting the 2009 General Elections.
The candidates' lists submitted by political parties will be made available for public inspection at national, provincial and municipal offices of the IEC on Monday and Tuesday.
There are 23 million potential voters registered on the IEC voters roll making it the highest recorded number of voters that have been registered since the national common voter's roll was first compiled for the elections in 1999.
