South Africans turned out at voting stations across the country over the weekend for the final in-person registration push before the November 4 local government elections.

On Sunday, August 2, President Cyril Ramaphosa led the ANC’s final voter registration campaign in eMalahleni.

Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu visited several voting stations in Barberton to monitor the registration process.

Staff ill-health and boundary disputes disrupt stations

While updating the media on the registration weekend, IEC Mpumalanga spokesperson Thanduxolo Chembeni said a presiding officer at Sukumani Primary School in Ward 28, eMalahleni, collapsed due to ill health and was rushed to hospital, before being replaced on the second day.

At Tent Atlantic Park Stadium in Ward 22, a registration supervisor fell ill and was relieved of duty, with an area manager taking over for the remainder of the day.

In Aphani, Ward 2 of Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality, a new Mpumalanga voting station was opened to accommodate residents affected by a provincial boundary road separating Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

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Chembeni said the ANC branches in Mpumalanga and Limpopo clashed after the Limpopo group claimed they were not consulted about the new station and demanded its closure so voters would cross the boundary into Limpopo. The SAPS defused the tension and the station remained operational.

In Ward 23 at Katekani Creche in Bushbuckridge, a station was opened after delimitation, but community members were discouraged from registering there and urged to register in Ward 25 instead. Chembeni said residents were unable to register and the matter was being addressed.

Data-free portal remains open for voter updates

On Sunday, IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said all 23 699 voting stations across the country were open.

He acknowledged that the commission had identified challenges with its online data-free voter registration portal and was working to resolve them.

He said preliminary figures indicated that Mpumalanga recorded about 17 218 voter activities, noting that citizens responded positively to the commission’s call to register and update their details before station-based registration closed.

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Mamabolo said the majority of transactions (198 232) were recorded at voting stations across the country, while the commission’s online data-free voter registration portal recorded 20 078 transactions, providing eligible voters with a convenient channel to register or update their details.

Eligible voters who missed the registration weekend can still register or update their details online or at their local IEC office until the voters’ roll closes.

The portal, registertovote.elections.org.za, will remain open until the election is proclaimed. Registered voters can also verify their details online, through the IEC app, or by contacting the commission’s contact centre on 0800 11 8000. Voters may also check their registration status by sending their ID number via SMS to 32810 at a cost of R1 per SMS.