Elections 2024: uMkhanyakude youth register to vote

Statistics indicate that youngsters in uMkhanyakude District have heeded the call to vote in this year’s elections.

This was announced by the IEC’s outreach manager in the district, Nonto Nyawo, who said the youth accounted for 7.5% of new voter registrations.

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Nyawo said 368 481 of 625 846 people – 58.9% of the district’s total population – registered to vote.

However, the 41.1% of unregistered voters will include those who are underage so not yet eligible to register to vote, explained Nyawo.

In the 2023/24 financial year, 27 526 new registrations in uMkhanyakude District were recorded as youths.

Of those, 1 976 people are 16 years of age or above and in possession of an identity document, she said.

Nyawo elaborated that the IEC encourages 16 year olds with IDs to register to vote – although they are only eligible once they turn 18.

That means 25 550 people were newly registered voters in district, eligible to vote for the first time, added Nyawo.

“We think the youth heard the call for them to register to vote and are willing to participate in this upcoming election.”
Of the total number of registered voters in the district, 56% are women and 44% men.

Security measures in place

Meanwhile, as special voting kicked off on Monday, the police in the district said they had not received reports of any violence or disruptions at polling stations across the region.

Police spokesperson Captain Justice Hlabisa said officers have been deployed to patrol and monitor voting stations across uMkhanyakude District.

Hluhluwe and Mtubatuba have been identified by the police as high risk for possible uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) protest action following the recent Constitutional Court ruling that the party’s leader, former president Jacob Zuma, is not eligible to contest this year’s elections.

An instruction was issued that security provisions be made to the identified high-risk areas to monitor protest action, with contingency plans put in place to deal with whatever may arise.

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