Political parties have been scrambling since this morning to register voters for the municipal elections expected to take place in November.

The ANC has focused on its traditional support base and has set up a tent at the College in Brug Street.

In particular, councillors Helda de Klerk and Johan Dyason, who are back in Kanonkop and Dennesig for the DA, have tried to persuade voters who previously voted at the tent in Verkenner Street to register again.

“If you live in Dennesig, your polling station is Dennesig Primary School. If you have previously voted at the tent in Verkenner Street, you must register again to vote.”

“If you live in Kanonkop and have previously voted at the tent in Verkenner Street, you must register again at Kanonkop Primary School.

“This weekend is your last opportunity to register or re-register if you have recently moved here or changed your polling place.

“Please make sure you are registered correctly.

“If you don’t vote you have no say. Your vote makes a difference,” the two councillors said.

With less than 100 days remaining before the Local Government Elections, the Electoral Commission reminds all eligible South Africans that the weekend of 1 and 2 August 2026 marks the final voting station-based registration opportunity.

Once the final voter registration weekend has concluded, the Commission anticipates that the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) will proclaim the date of the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Proclamation has profound consequences:

Firstly, the voters’ roll closes at midnight on the day the election is proclaimed. From that point onwards, no new voter registrations or changes to existing voter registration details may be processed until after the elections. Consequently, the Electoral Commission will cease all registration drives and deactivate the online voter registration portal.

Secondly, the Electoral Code of Conduct issued in terms of the Municipal Electoral Act comes into operation until the election results are announced. The purpose of the Code is to foster conditions for free and fair elections by creating a climate of tolerance, open public debate and free political campaigning.

The Commission said in a press release “we wishes to indicate that the “no go” zones go against both the letter and spirit of the Code. We reiterate that all registered political parties, the leaders and office bearers of parties, candidates nominated by parties and independent candidates are bound by the Code.”

The Commission calls on all eligible South Africans who have not yet registered as voters, those who are registered but have not yet inspected their address details for completeness, or those who have moved residence since they last registered, to use this final opportunity to secure their place on the voters’ roll. Participation in elections begins with registration, enabling citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

Registration Weekend Readiness

The Commission has completed its final operational preparations for the upcoming voter registration weekend. As part of these preparations, the number of voting districts has been revised from 23 706 to 23 699 following the optimisation of voting station arrangements based on voter activity recorded during the first registration weekend. For the final voter registration weekend, the Commission will operate 23 699 voting stations across the country.

All registration stations will operate from 08:00 to 17:00 on both Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August. The Commission will once again deploy 48 212 trained electoral officials who will be on hand to welcome and assist eligible voters to register, update their details, or verify their registration information ahead of the elections.

Building on the Success of the First Registration Weekend

During the first voter registration weekend in June, over three million registration transactions were recorded, reflecting South Africans’ continued commitment to democratic participation. The Commission is hopeful that the same spirit of participation will prevail during the final in-person registration drive.

Strong Uptake of Online Voter Registration (OVR) Services

Following the first voter registration weekend in June 2026, the Electoral Commission has to date recorded more than 815 000 voter registration transactions. Of these, approximately 603 572 (74%) were processed through the Online Voter Registration (OVR) portal, underscoring the growing use of the digital online registration platform among South Africans.

The Commission’s data-free Online Voter Registration Portal (registertovote.elections.org.za) enables voters to:

Register as first-time voters.

Check their voter registration status.

Confirm their voting station.

Update their contact and address details.

The Commission continues to encourage South Africans to take advantage of the online self-service portal, which is data-free and accessible 24/7, to register to vote and update their registration details. While the upcoming registration weekend is the final in-person opportunity to register or update voter details, the online service will remain active until Proclamation Day.

The Commission urges eligible voters not to wait until the last minute to register or update their details. Experience has shown that a surge in registration activity often occurs closer to key deadlines, creating avoidable pressure on registration channels.

Register Where You Live – Vote Where You are Registered

The Commission once again reminds voters that local government elections are fundamentally different from national and provincial elections. Half of the seats in a municipal council are elected on a First-Past-the-Post ward basis. For that reason, only voters who are ordinarily resident in a ward must influence the outcome of elections in a particular ward. Therefore, voters must be registered in a voting district in a ward where they ordinarily reside.

Unlike national and provincial elections, there is no legal provision permitting voters to vote outside the voting district where they are registered during local government elections.

Voters who have relocated since their last registration are strongly encouraged to update their residential addresses to ensure that they are assigned to the correct ward. The Commission’s message is simple: Register where you live. Vote where you are registered.

The Department of Home Affairs will once again align its operating hours with the Commission’s voter registration activities ensuring that eligible voters requiring identity documents have access to the necessary services during the registration weekend.