PRETORIA, Gauteng — The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that recent IEC voter registration transactions reached nearly three million over the weekend, reflecting a massive turnout of South Africans ahead of next year’s local government elections.
According to IEC spokespersons, the 2.9 million transactions recorded mark a substantial increase from the 1.7 million seen during the comparable registration weekend prior to the 2021 municipal polls. This latest drive has successfully pushed the national voters’ roll to 28.5 million.
A significant portion of the activity was driven by the youth and first-time voters. Over the two-day period, citizens between the ages of 16 and 29 accounted for more than 785,000 registrations, representing almost a third of all activity. Furthermore, more than 477,000 transactions were first-time registrations, with women making up the majority of this group.
Addressing the demographic shift, an IEC spokesperson noted that the figures indicate youth-focused campaigns are finding strong resonance with young citizens. “Far from it, young persons are not apathetic,” the spokesperson stated, highlighting a growing electoral participation among the younger demographic.
The surge in numbers was also bolstered by improvements in digital registration technology and faster processing times. IEC spokespersons revealed that 12% of all registrations were completed online, with nearly half of those digital submissions coming from young people. To further remove barriers to participation and strengthen electoral inclusion, the commission announced that its online voter registration portal is now zero-rated. This allows all eligible South Africans to register, update their details, and verify their information without incurring mobile data charges. The high level of public interest also drove massive online traffic, with the IEC’s website recording 12 million visits over the registration weekend.
Geographically, Gauteng recorded the highest registration volumes, followed by the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. For citizens who missed the opportunity to register or update their details this past weekend, a second opportunity will be available on the 1st and 2nd of August.
Despite the overall success, the commission did address a few isolated incidents. IEC spokespersons confirmed that a criminal case was opened after a registration official was observed improperly handling multiple identity documents while registering voters. The commission strongly condemned the conduct, stating it is entirely inconsistent with their core values and the integrity of the electoral process.
Additionally, while some registration stations experienced disruptions linked to service delivery and demarcation protests, officials emphasized that the impact was minimal. Putting the disruptions into perspective, an IEC spokesperson explained that nationally, no more than 20 voting stations were affected out of the more than 23,700 voting stations available, allowing the vast majority of stations to open and operate normally.
