Over 27.79 million voters – the highest since the dawn of democracy in South Africa – are eligible to cast their votes in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE).

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, known as the IEC, the voters’ roll was certified by the chief electoral officer yesterday.

IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela says a highlight of the certified voters’ roll is the increase in the rate of representation of persons aged 18 to 39.

“This age band accounts for 42% or 11.7 million voters on the voters’ roll.

“The increase in this age category from the 2021 Local Government Elections is over 200%, which vindicates the continued focus by the IEC and other stakeholders to invert the under-representation of this category of voters.”

Bapela says the well-entrenched trend of there being more females on the voters’ roll continues. “Of the 27.79 million voters, 15 million are females. This represents over 55%.”

She adds that the introduction of the IEC’s online self-service voter registration portal contributed to the increased rate of registration by younger voters and citizens who live in other countries.

Voters’ roll available at IEC offices

The voters’ roll will be available at the IEC’s head office, each of the nine provincial IEC offices and at each IEC municipal office.

“The certification follows the IEC’s finalisation of objections on the provisional voters’ roll that was published for inspection on February 26,” says Bapela.

Electronic copies of the voters’ roll, which contain the redacted identity numbers of voters in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, will be provided to all political parties and independent candidates who have qualified to contest the elections.

“Since the voters’ roll was compiled for the first time ahead of the 1999 NPEs, it has shown steady growth of over 35% and contains the highest number of registered voters, recording an increase of 9.6 million voters since the 1999 general elections,” Bapela confirms.

Registered voters over the years:

• 1999: 18.17m
• 2004: 20.67m
• 2009: 23.18m
• 2014: 25.39m
• 2019: 26.74m
• 2024: 27.79m

In terms of provinces, Gauteng remains the biggest voting province, followed by KZN and the Eastern Cape.

Diplomatic mission registered population:

• London: 19 525
• The Hague: 5 574
• Canberra: 2 609
• Dubai: 2 574
• Dublin: 2 342
• Wellington: 1 668
• Abu Dhabi: 1 416
• New York CG: 1 379
• Washington: 1 228
• Berlin: 1 188

Unauthorised circulation of candidate lists

On Saturday, the IEC reported that lists of candidates were being circulated on social media platforms. The information suggested that the reports emanated from within the IEC.

“An enquiry was instituted to establish the circumstances of the unauthorised circulation and the person or persons responsible. Following investigations over the weekend and yesterday, the IEC narrowed [down] the source of the disclosure to a workstation that had been used to generate and store the reports.

“Later, the said reports were deleted from the workstation. Yesterday, the workstation was secured and imaged in the presence of the staff member whose credentials were used to generate the reports. A forensic analysis of the computer is underway,” says Bapela.

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