Date: 28/08/2005
Source: Department of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Voter registration campaign
Speech by the Minister of Health - Voter Registration campaign Bronkhorstspruit
All of us a South Africans should visit our voting stations this Saturday, 3September, to register or check our registration details for the forthcoming local government elections. This is a crucial opportunity for us to determine our future as a community of Bronkhorstspruit.
We need to mobilise in particular our young people who will be turning 18 and therefore qualifying for the first-time to vote, to go and register. While any South African over the age of 16 may apply for registration, only people who are 18 years or older on the day of the election may vote.
We need to also mobilise those who have never registered for whatever reason to also come and register on this day.
Those who are registered need to confirm that your names are on the voters' roll in the correct voting district. We should all remember that we have to be registered in the voting district where we live.
The forthcoming local government elections are critical to the development of the country, and particularly the achievement of the objectives of a better life for all. While a lot has been achieve there is much more that still needs to be done, especially at local level, in the communities where people live. Many South Africans still struggle because of poverty and unemployment. Many towns and communities still lack infrastructure and reliable and affordable basic services.
The people of Bronkhorstspruit know this very well. When I was here last month, I witnessed the challenges of access to clean water and proper sanitation particularly amongst the farming communities. The tests that we conducted on water samples collected in these areas found that the water in those rivers that are used for human consumption is contaminated with various kinds of bacteria associated with diarrhoeal and other water-borne diseases.
As you know, the President's Co-ordinating Council decided that no municipality should be under more than one province. This decision was taken because of administrative difficulties facing cross-border municipalities that lead to service delivery being compromised. (There are currently 16 such cross-boundary municipalities in the country affecting five provinces) In implementing this decision, the Demarcation Board has published proposed changes to municipal boundaries. The Board has said that the entire Metsweding District Municipality, which includes your municipality, Kangala, should be incorporated into Gauteng province.
Residents and all stakeholders will have an opportunity to make comment on these proposals once the Cross Boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal Bill is published for public comment in the near future. It is therefore, critical that you use this opportunity as affected communities to express your views so that they could be considered in the finalisation of this bill.
The coming local government elections are an opportunity for voters to strengthen local government by deepening the levels of popular participation in determining the needs of communities and the priorities of local councils.
But before we get there, there is a major challenge of ensuring that all of us are registered to vote. All voting stations will be open from 7am to 5pm this Saturday (3 September). People can also register during normal office hours at their local municipal offices.
To register to vote, a person needs to have a bar-coded ID book obtainable at any regional and district office of the Department of Home Affairs. ID book is also necessary if you want to apply for government services, like social grants, housing subsidies or to register as a student.
The number of voting districts has been increased by around 2 000 since last year's elections and a number of ward boundaries have changed. This means that those ho voted in 1999, 2000 or 2004 should check whether they're registered in the correct voting district.
Those who have cellphones can check their registration by sending their ID number in an SMS to 32810. You can also phone the IEC call centre between 08h00 and 17h00 on 0800 11 8000. Those who have access to the internet can check on the IEC website: http://www.elections.org.za.
There is no reason why we should not register or check our registration for the next election. We all fought for the right to vote, it is now an opportunity to exercise this right for our own future and that of our children.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health
28 August 2005
Source: Department of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Voter registration campaign
Speech by the Minister of Health - Voter Registration campaign Bronkhorstspruit
All of us a South Africans should visit our voting stations this Saturday, 3September, to register or check our registration details for the forthcoming local government elections. This is a crucial opportunity for us to determine our future as a community of Bronkhorstspruit.
We need to mobilise in particular our young people who will be turning 18 and therefore qualifying for the first-time to vote, to go and register. While any South African over the age of 16 may apply for registration, only people who are 18 years or older on the day of the election may vote.
We need to also mobilise those who have never registered for whatever reason to also come and register on this day.
Those who are registered need to confirm that your names are on the voters' roll in the correct voting district. We should all remember that we have to be registered in the voting district where we live.
The forthcoming local government elections are critical to the development of the country, and particularly the achievement of the objectives of a better life for all. While a lot has been achieve there is much more that still needs to be done, especially at local level, in the communities where people live. Many South Africans still struggle because of poverty and unemployment. Many towns and communities still lack infrastructure and reliable and affordable basic services.
The people of Bronkhorstspruit know this very well. When I was here last month, I witnessed the challenges of access to clean water and proper sanitation particularly amongst the farming communities. The tests that we conducted on water samples collected in these areas found that the water in those rivers that are used for human consumption is contaminated with various kinds of bacteria associated with diarrhoeal and other water-borne diseases.
As you know, the President's Co-ordinating Council decided that no municipality should be under more than one province. This decision was taken because of administrative difficulties facing cross-border municipalities that lead to service delivery being compromised. (There are currently 16 such cross-boundary municipalities in the country affecting five provinces) In implementing this decision, the Demarcation Board has published proposed changes to municipal boundaries. The Board has said that the entire Metsweding District Municipality, which includes your municipality, Kangala, should be incorporated into Gauteng province.
Residents and all stakeholders will have an opportunity to make comment on these proposals once the Cross Boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal Bill is published for public comment in the near future. It is therefore, critical that you use this opportunity as affected communities to express your views so that they could be considered in the finalisation of this bill.
The coming local government elections are an opportunity for voters to strengthen local government by deepening the levels of popular participation in determining the needs of communities and the priorities of local councils.
But before we get there, there is a major challenge of ensuring that all of us are registered to vote. All voting stations will be open from 7am to 5pm this Saturday (3 September). People can also register during normal office hours at their local municipal offices.
To register to vote, a person needs to have a bar-coded ID book obtainable at any regional and district office of the Department of Home Affairs. ID book is also necessary if you want to apply for government services, like social grants, housing subsidies or to register as a student.
The number of voting districts has been increased by around 2 000 since last year's elections and a number of ward boundaries have changed. This means that those ho voted in 1999, 2000 or 2004 should check whether they're registered in the correct voting district.
Those who have cellphones can check their registration by sending their ID number in an SMS to 32810. You can also phone the IEC call centre between 08h00 and 17h00 on 0800 11 8000. Those who have access to the internet can check on the IEC website: http://www.elections.org.za.
There is no reason why we should not register or check our registration for the next election. We all fought for the right to vote, it is now an opportunity to exercise this right for our own future and that of our children.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health
28 August 2005
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