The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has successfully registered nearly 2.9 million citizens during its latest voter registration weekend, prompting Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo to announce a second registration drive scheduled for August 1 and 2. The updated IEC voter registration figures reflect a significant push to expand the national voters’ roll ahead of the November Local Government Elections (LGE).
According to Sy Mamabolo, the recent drive achieved its primary objectives, adding close to half a million first-time voters to the system. Specifically, 477,000 individuals registered for the first time. This influx has grown the national voters’ roll from 27.7 million following the 2024 elections to its current standing of 28.5 million.
The electoral body also reported a strong performance from its technology infrastructure. Mamabolo noted that remediations implemented since 2024 are yielding positive results, with 88% of all transactions processed in person via voter management devices across 23,000 voting stations. The remaining 12% were completed through the online portal.
However, the digital portal experienced some technical hurdles. Mamabolo addressed approximately 30,000 unsuccessful online applications, clarifying that the primary bottleneck was the poor quality of uploaded ID book photographs. The IEC is currently reviewing these cases and expects to clear them by the end of the week. For users who experienced complete upload failures due to high system volume, officials advise simply retrying the process.
To further encourage participation, particularly among the youth, the IEC has zero-rated the online voter portal. Citizens can now update their details or register without incurring mobile data costs. The portal will remain open continuously, meaning citizens do not need to wait for the designated August 1 and 2 weekend to complete their registration online.
Regionally, registration numbers closely mirrored population densities. KwaZulu-Natal led the provinces with nearly 700,000 total registrations, followed by the Eastern Cape with 534,000. Gauteng secured the third spot with 522,000 registrations, while Limpopo ranked fourth.
Addressing persistent social media misinformation, Mamabolo firmly debunked the myth that abstaining from voting automatically allocates a citizen’s vote to the largest political party. He described this as a “profound fallacy,” emphasizing that uncast votes are simply not counted and have no impact on the determination of the municipal council’s composition. He urged the public to desist from spreading the unhelpful misinformation.
Looking ahead to the November LGE, the electoral calendar remains packed. Following the August registration weekend, the Minister is expected to formally proclaim the election date, which will subsequently close the voters’ roll. Meanwhile, the IEC has already opened its online candidate nomination system. This early access allows political parties and prospective independent candidates to capture their candidacies well in advance, reducing last-minute pressure and ensuring maximum participation in the upcoming elections.
