75% of voters' roll updated to comply with ConCourt ruling

8th February 2018 By: News24Wire

75% of voters' roll updated to comply with ConCourt ruling

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has updated 75% of the voters' roll to include addresses in compliance with a 2016 ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng gave the IEC 18 months to fix the "unlawful defects" on the voters' roll, which he said were "inconsistent with the rule of law".

He said the IEC's failure to record all available voters' addresses on the national common voters' roll was inconsistent with the Constitution and invalid, giving it until June 2018 to correct this.

Lemias Mashile, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, said in a statement on Wednesday that while the number is commendable, the committee has called for an "intensified drive to have the remaining 25% names linked to addresses".

"The validity of the voters' roll remains the single most important thing that guarantees our democracy. For this fact, every opportunity must be made to remedy the defect identified by the Constitutional Court," Mashile said.

"As a result, the committee encourages all citizens to make sure that their details are updated on the voters' roll. Furthermore, the opportunity presented by the IEC to register on the 10 and 11 March 2018 must be adequately utilised".

The committee would engage the IEC to get a full briefing on the progress thus far, he added.