THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) conducted its first national voter registration weekend on June 20 and 21, resulting in approximately 2.9 million processed registrations. KwaZulu-Natal led the provincial pack, where officials recorded 691 504 registrations, representing 23% of the national registrations.

Also read: IEC ready for voter registration weekend

Increased voters roll

These figures mark an increase from the 1.7 million registrations recorded during the equivalent period prior to the 2021 local government elections.

Following this surge, the national voters roll increased to 28.5 million members. This expansion followed a period after the 2024 elections when the roll decreased to 27.7 million, a change largely attributed to the removal of 1.3 million deceased individuals from the database.

Young people ready to cast their votes

The commission observed significant participation from younger citizens, which has been a key target area for the commission this year.  Voters between the ages of 16 and 29 accounted for 785 078 registrations, which is 27% of the weekend total. Within the specific category of new registrations, 80% came from this age group. Demographic data also showed that women accounted for 57% of the total registrations, with men making up the remaining 43%.

The polls still active

Electoral staff used voting management devices to process 2.5 million registrations at physical voting stations. An additional 362 296 registrations occurred through the online portal, which saw 12 million website visits during the weekend. To maintain this momentum, the commission has zero-rated the online registration portal to allow access without mobile data costs.

New voters

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of first-time voters at 122 314, followed by the Eastern Cape with 534 773 total registrations and Gauteng with 502 229.

Preparations for the 2026 Local Government Elections continue with the activation of the online candidate nomination system for political parties and independent candidates. A second registration weekend is scheduled for August 1 and 2 to provide further opportunity for citizens to update their status on the voter’s roll.

For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.