With 27.7-million people on the certified voters roll, South Africa has not seen such a level of voter registration since the establishment of the voters roll in 1999.

This revelation was made by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Mosotho Moepya as he addressed the signing of the Electoral Code of Conduct, undertaken by political parties contesting the elections.

He stressed the IEC’s readiness to hold the elections as South Africa commemorates 30 years of democracy, on April 27.

“Today we stand before South Africa and her people to affirm our readiness to conduct an election which accords with constitutional yardsticks and international norms. We give this affirmation of readiness, alive to the enormity of the challenge that rests on our hands. We stand ready to assiduously ensure that we do not let the motherland down, for otherwise history will have a deleterious account of our charge of this task. This is our readiness report,” he said.

Providing updates in various sectors, Moepya noted that since the IEC launched its online registration portal in July 2021, 2.4-million voters used it to register for the first time or to change their personal details.

He said owing to the efficacy of the portal, the registration of young persons is beginning to show initial signs of recovery.

People aged 20 to 29 make up 48.6% of registrations while those in the 18 to 19 age group make up 27% of registrations.

“Coming off a low registration base, the historical under-representation of young persons on the voters roll is showing welcome signs of amelioration. This can only bode well for the future of electoral democracy in the country,” Moepya said.

Female voters stand at 15.3-million, while 12.4-million potential voters are males.

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal jointly account for 44% of the voters in the country.

Gauteng has 6.5-million voters and KwaZulu-Natal has 5.7-million. The Eastern Cape comes in third with 3.4-million registered voters.

The IEC will publish a list of all voting stations on April 12, the network of which has grown to 23 292.

There are 14 903 candidates competing for 887 seats in the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures.

There will be 202 000 voting officials overseeing the electoral process at voting stations across the country, and who are undergoing hybrid training involving online and practical modules.

Additionally, a new category of staff will be instituted this year, to improve the quality of counting and the completion of results slips, and will support the presiding officer during the counting process.

Three such staff members will be appointed to each voting station and each substation that operates a voting center.

DISINFORMATION

Moepya urged the media to report ethically and without fear or favour during the elections but also had words of caution for political parties and citizens on spreading false information that could affect the credibility of the electoral process.

Further, he urged political role players to respect the role of the media in the information ecosystem and to be responsible for their safety.

“Let us collectively uphold the ideals of democracy and demonstrate our commitment to credible and transparent elections. As leaders of political parties and as citizens, let us lead by example, fostering an electoral environment characterised by trust, integrity and respect for all. For its part, the IEC commits itself to pronounce and electoral outcome rooted in the choices of the South African voter. As with any electoral contest, the choice of the voter is paramount and it is that choice of the voter that the commission commits to pronounce as an electoral outcome,” he said.