The Electoral Commission (IEC) in KwaZulu-Natal says it is fully prepared for the voter registration weekend scheduled for 20 and 21 June 2026, a key milestone in preparations for this year's Local Government Elections (LGE2026).
Addressing the media at the commission's provincial offices in Westville, Durban, on Thursday, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Electoral Officer Ntombifuthi Masinga said extensive preparations had been completed to ensure a smooth registration process across the province's 5 021 voting districts.
The registration weekend follows a ward boundary re-determination process undertaken by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), which resulted in the number of wards in KwaZulu-Natal increasing from 901 during the 2021 Local Government Elections to 921 for the 2026 polls.
Masinga said the increase was necessitated by legislative requirement for the number of registered voters to not exceed the permissible norm for each municipality across in the province.
“During this process, a number of voters were reassigned to different wards and voting districts," Masinga said.
To ensure affected voters are correctly registered and informed of the changes, the Electoral Commission conducted a targeted communication and registration campaign between 22 and 24 May.
The campaign reached 1 188 affected voting districts across the province and yielded the highest results nationally.
"During this process, the province recorded the highest yield of all provinces, adding 15 689 new voters and updating registration details of 93 224 voters on the KZN segment of the voters’ roll," Masinga said.
She encouraged voters who may not have been reached during the campaign to verify and update their addresses on the voters’ roll, to ensure they are placed on the correct segment of the voters’ roll.
Affected voters can update their addresses through the commission's online voter registration portal registertovote.elections.org.za, or by visiting their nearest voting station during the registration weekend.
"This initiative reinforces the Commission’s commitment to an accurate voters’ roll and ensuring all eligible citizens can vote in their correct wards,” Masinga said.
The alignment of voting districts (VDs) to the newly demarcated ward boundaries has also increased the number of voting districts in the province from 4 974 used during the 2024 National and Provincial Elections to 5 021 for LGE2026.
KwaZulu-Natal now accounts for 21% of South Africa's 23 706 voting districts, the highest share of any province.
Over five million voters registered
According to the latest registration figures, KwaZulu-Natal has 5 764 286 registered voters, representing 20.5% of the more than 28 million voters registered on the national common voters' roll.
While voter registration levels remain strong, the commission has expressed concern about the participation of younger voters.
Of the 28 million registered voters nationally, approximately 4.5 million are aged between 18 and 29 years. However, the proportion of first-time voters within this age group remains lower than desired.
Masinga said the commission continues to work with a range of stakeholders to encourage and mobilise eligible young people to register and participate in the democratic process.
Women continue to make up the majority of registered voters in the province. According to the commission, female voters account for 3 256 368 of the registered electorate in KwaZulu-Natal, representing 56% of all registered voters.
10 000 registration officials recruited
To support the registration weekend, the Electoral Commission has recruited and trained 10 042 registration officials who will be deployed at voting stations throughout the province.
Masinga said transparency and electoral integrity remained central to the recruitment process.
“In the interest of transparency and electoral integrity, the names of Presiding Officers were shared with political parties, affording them an opportunity to raise objections where there may be concerns regarding the impartiality or suitability of any of these officials,” she said.
The commission has also secured all 5 021 voting stations that will be operational during the registration weekend.
Working closely with government departments and state entities, the IEC has ensured that voting stations will be accessible and equipped with the basic amenities required for efficient operations.
Security arrangements have also been put in place, with the province working closely with security establishments to ensure the registration weekend is held in a secure and conducive environment.
“We are confident that all voting stations will operate efficiently and effectively throughout the registration period," Masinga said.
The distribution of registration materials, including Voter Management Devices (VMDs), stationery packs, directional signage and document storage boxes, has also been completed in all 44 municipalities.
A total of 7 908 VMDs will be available for use across the province's 5 021 voting districts, with additional devices allocated to high-volume voting districts to minimise waiting times and improve service delivery.
Masinga said the devices had undergone maintenance and testing to ensure operational readiness.
The VMDs enable real-time citizenship verification, accurate capture of voter information and direct integration with the voters' roll. In areas where network connectivity is unavailable, data will be stored on the devices and uploaded once connectivity is restored.
All voting stations will be open from 08:00 to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday to allow eligible citizens to register, re-register or update their registration details. – SAnews.gov.za
