If you have not yet registered to vote in the upcoming national and provincial elections, you could have only days left to do so.

In a media briefing the day before the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on February 8, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the election date would be announced within 15 days of the Sona.

That means the date of the elections should be known by Thursday, February 22.

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, known as the IEC, voter registration will close at midnight on the day that the election date is proclaimed and published in the government gazette.

Magwenya has said there should not be a ‘lag between the time he [Ramaphosa] announces and the time he proclaims’.

The bottom line is that if your name is not yet on the voters’ roll or you have not updated your details, you need to get a move on if you want to play your part in shaping our country’s future, by voting on election day.

After the second voter registration weekend held early in February, IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said that more than 27.4 million people were registered to vote and that 1.2 million new voters have been added to the voters’ roll since November.

Election day date

In terms of the Constitution, the elections must be held within 90 days of the expiry of the current term of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures, so South Africa’s seventh democratic elections must be held between May and August 2024.

Register today

People who have not yet registered and want to vote must go online or visit their local IEC office as soon as possible – they may have only days left to do so because registration will close once the election date has been proclaimed.

To register online, click here and follow the prompts for your details.

• Make sure you have your South African ID smart card or barcoded green ID book with you when you register, as you will need to scan a copy of it.
• You will receive a notification as soon as your registration is processed.
• If you don’t have data, you can register on someone else’s device.

You can also register at your local IEC office on weekdays during office hours, from 08:00 to 17:00.

Click here to find the contact details of your local IEC office.

If you want to confirm your registration status, SMS your ID number to 32810.

Contact the IEC at 0800 11 8000.