Pretoria – President Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to ensure they register or verify their statuses with the Independent Electoral Commission this weekend so they can participate in next year's national general elections.
The IEC will host a voter registration at 22 263 stations across the country on Saturday and Sunday. Zuma is expected to check his registration details at his voting station at Ntolwane Primary School in Nkandla tomorrow.
The President said all qualified South Africans should participate in the 2014 national general elections and vote for the party of their choice because it is their basic right to do so.
"The right to vote is a fundamental right enshrined in the Bill of Rights. We appeal to all South Africans to exercise their democratic right by taking the first step and register to vote. Our struggle for freedom secured the right for every South African to be active participants in our democratic system.
“We call on all South Africans to honour our history and continue to strengthen our democracy,” Zuma said on Friday.
He said first time voters belonged to a different generation as they were born in a democratic society which is free and values human rights.
"This group is special because it will vote when the country is celebrating 20 years of freedom and democracy. The youth is very critical in the development of this beloved country and their active participation in nation building processes will certainly help to take the country forward.
“We therefore encourage eligible young people to take this opportunity and register so that they will exercise their democratic rights in the next year's elections,” the President said.
He added that the 2014 general elections were significant because they coincide with the celebration of 20 years of freedom and democracy.
"South Africans should use these celebrations to reflect on the journey we have travelled since 1994 in transforming the country and addressing socio-economic challenges we inherited at the time and on how to work together to implement the National Development Plan (NDP) going forward.
"As government we say there is cause to celebrate 20 years of freedom because South Africa is undoubtedly a better country than it was in 1994. The best way to celebrate is through exercising our democratic right to vote, and take transformation and change forward,” the President concluded.
The IEC is confident that all will go smoothly in the. It has set a target of getting two million new registrations by the time the voters’ roll closes before next year’s general elections. – SAnews.gov.za
