Young South Africans dominated the latest voter registration weekend, accounting for 80% of new registrations as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded nearly 2.9 million voter registration transactions nationwide. 
 
The next voter registration weekend will take place on August 1 and 2, ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections on November 4. 
 
IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo during a media briefing this afternoon said the figure marked a significant increase from the 1.7 million transactions recorded during the voter registration weekend ahead of the 2021 local government elections. 

“The increase in the voters’ roll is attributable to, among other things, the efficiencies introduced by voting management devices (VMDs), which have significantly enhanced the speed of processing voter registration applications, as well as the convenience of the online registration portal,” he said. 

KZN recorded the highest number of registration transactions at 691 504, followed by the Eastern Cape with 534 773 and Gauteng with 502 229. 

Women take the lead 

Of the 2.9 million recorded transactions, 477,174 were first-time registrations, accounting for 16% of total registration activity. 

Mamabolo says 2.4 million voters used the weekend to inspect or update their details, representing 84% of total activity. 

Women accounted for 1.6 million transactions, or 57% of total activity, compared with 1.2 million by men. 

New registrations 

“Of the 477 174 new registrations, women accounted for 254 656 or 53% while their male counterparts accounted for 222 518, representing 47%. This is consistent with the well-established trend of there being more women than men on the voter’s roll.” 

Youth 

He said young people aged 16 to 29 accounted for 785 078 registration transactions, representing 27% of the total 2.9 million transactions.  

“Of the 785 078, 59% are women while men represent 41%. Young persons have also dominated the new registration category. Of the total new registrations (477 174), 379 767 or 80% are young people in the age group 16 and 29,” explained Mamabolo. 

He added that the figures indicate that the youth-focused campaign is finding resonance with young people and that young people are not apathetic. 

Registration channels 

VMDs at registration stations recorded over 2.5 million transactions, showing that 88% of voters opted to visit a voting station. In contrast, 362 296 transactions, representing 12% of total registration activity, were processed through the online registration portal. 

Candidate nominations 

Mamabolo added that the online candidate nomination system is now live for political parties and prospective independent candidates to capture their candidates and supporters’ information, respectively.  

“The commission will commence training sessions for registered political parties and prospective independent candidates to prepare them for the submission of candidate nominations and supporters’ lists,” he said. 

No place for political violence 

Despite the success of the registration weekend, law enforcement authorities have warned against political violence after several serious crimes were recorded across the country. 

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said there were no significant disruptions at voter registration stations across the country.  
 
“This indeed demonstrates the continued commitment of our people to participate in our democracy peacefully and responsibly. However, we remain deeply concerned by a number of serious criminal incidents that occurred during the same period,” he added.  

A total of 12 incidents were recorded nationally, including four murders, five cases involving contraventions of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 and three incidents of public violence. 

Six arrests were also made in connection with cases of assault, malicious damage to property and public violence. 

“Among the murder cases are two incidents in Gauteng involving individuals linked to the MK Party, one incident in the Western Cape involving a DA ward candidate, and one incident in the Eastern Cape involving an ANC ward councillor.” 
 
Cachalia said political violence has no place in our constitutional democracy. 
 
“An attack on political representatives or supporters, regardless of party affiliation, is an attack on the democratic rights of all South Africans. As we move closer to the local government elections, political contestation must never descend into violence.  
 
“No disagreement, no campaign and no political objective can justify intimidation, assault or murder. We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, respect one another’s democratic rights and allow our electoral processes to unfold peacefully,” added Cachalia. 

Registration continues 

The commission has urged citizens who have not yet registered to do so through the Online Voter Registration Portal. It will remain available until the official proclamation of the elections. Registered voters are encouraged to verify their registration details online, through the IEC mobile app, by SMSing their ID number to 32810 or by contacting the IEC Contact Centre on 0800 11 8000. 

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