As the registration weekend is upon us, the Mpumalanga Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said it is ready to get every citizen to register to vote in the upcoming national and provincial elections. The elections are scheduled for 2024 on a date still to be announced by the state president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The IEC, however, has declared this coming weekend, November 18 to 19, as a voter registration weekend, when new and already registered voters will be registering their details on the voters’ roll to be eligible to vote in the 2024 elections.

Speaking to Lowvelder, the provincial IEC’s communication and stakeholder liaison, Thanduxolo Chembeni, said it is ready and everything is in order for the registration weekend.

“All that is left now is for people to come through and get registered. It is important, so that they will be eligible to vote and have a say in the government they want. It is important that we all participate in our elections, but you cannot vote if you are not registered.”

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He said anyone older than 16 is eligible to register. They must be South African citizens, have a green barcoded ID, a smart ID card or a valid temporary identification certificate.

“It is also important to note that people go and register in person, so they have to register where they will vote.”

According to Chembeni, voters have options to check if they are registered.

“The first option is to send an SMS to 32810 with their ID number, or they can visit IEC offices in their area during working hours (08:00-16:30). They can also check online at www.elections.org.za and selecting ‘Check my registration status’. Those who want to visit the offices in Mbombela, go to 23 Roodt Street. The public can also log onto registertovote.elections.org.za for registrations,” he said.

Chembeni said voting stations will also be opened over the weekend and the public can go there for registration.

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“If anyone wants to check the voting stations in their ward, they can SMS their ID number to 32810 and get the information they need. For elderly people and community members who might need assistance, the IEC has employed people that move around in the community wearing an IEC T-shirt. These people can be identified by their IDs around their necks, which will have their photos on them, an expiry date and a logo of the IEC on it.”
Chembeni advised those who have registered to come forward and be re-registered if their wards have recently been rearranged by the demarcation board.

He further urged the youth to come out in their numbers to register, since they are lagging behind. “We have a problem with attracting young people when it comes to elections. We have since developed a number of programmes focusing on young people to get them to participate. We also have an online platform on which they can register if they can’t make it to the stations.”