Pretoria - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has given the thumbs up to the voter registration drive so far, saying the process is going very well.
"As at 10am, 98 percent of our registration stations had opened and were fully functional. We are very happy with the arrangements thus far," IEC chairperson, Brigalia Bam said.
Nine voting stations could not open on Saturday because of flooding. This included five stations in Keimoes in the Northern Cape, two in Beaufort West in the Western Cape, and two in Philippolis in the Free State
In some areas there were delays in erecting tents, forcing IEC staff to think of their feet and use the boots of their cars to continue with the registration.
Other IEC officials found themselves climbing up a mountain in order to reach 50 households in the Limpopo's Blouberg municipality district.
Bam said officials had shown a tremendous amount of commitment in continuing with the registration despite the challenges.
"On the technology front, our connectivity is up and running, even though it is being flooded with enquiries and it is slow. That is because thousands are using it to check their registration status," she said.
Hits on the IEC website increased from 16 000 on Monday to 80 000 on Friday. On Saturday alone, there were 27 000 hits by 11am and 39 000 sms enquiries.
Registration is taking place at 20 867 voting stations across the country. This is a 6 percent increase from the 19 726 voting stations of the 2009 elections.
The registration drive is being held to give new voters a chance to register for this year's municipal elections.
It also provides the opportunity for voters who have moved or changed their address to re-register.
Registered voters can sms their ID numbers to 32810, contact the IEC call centre on 0800 11 8000, or visit the IEC website to check on their registration details.
