IEC chasing 22-million eligible voters by election day

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Polity

Published: 07 Feb 2009

IEC chasing 22-million eligible voters by election day

Despite few protests against service delivery, hundreds of South Africans are visiting the more than 19 000 voter registration stations across the country to register for this year's general elections.

Electoral Commission (IEC) Chief Electoral Officer, Advocate Pansy Tlakula, said the Commission was satisfied with the turnout.

"We have just over 21 million registered voters. Our target is a cool 22-million voters by the time the voters' roll closes. So far we are on target," Tlakula said.

"Just like last November, we are promoting this national effort with the hope that it will help answer voters' questions, register new ones and make participation as simple as possible," she added.

Registration began as planned in all nine provinces. All voting stations have police officers securing them to ensure the safety of voters.

The weekend's voter registration drive is intended to provide eligible voters with all of the information they need to vote in the upcoming general election. New voters were being registered. Eligible ones were being given the opportunity to find out if they were registered, allowing them to check their voter registration status, including confirming their voting locations for the 2009 polls.

Tlakula said hundreds of other voters were still using the IEC's website to check their voting status. By midday on Saturday, the IEC had received 64 590 Short Message Services (SMSes) from people wishing to confirm their registration status. The call centre had already received more than 30,000 calls and the website received 92 527 hits.

On Saturday, the IEC experienced challenges in few stations. In KwaZulu-Natal, rain delayed the opening of some stations on the South Coast. In all other areas, including Nongoma, stations opened on time and registration was going smoothly.

In one station in Zeerust (North West) protesters attempted to stop people from entering the voting stations, saying they wanted more delivery of services from the government.

In Moutse, Limpopo, there were reports of intimidation against IEC staff at six stations. Police accompanied IEC staff to open the stations.

"With the assistance of the police, most of these problems have been resolved. We are appealing to communities to support voter registration and allow IEC staff to execute their duties," said Tlakula.

Voters could still visit their voter registration stations today and on Sunday between 8am and 5pm to register or check their details.

"We call on eligible voters to finalise their details. We are grateful that people are using our internet facility and call centre. We are pleading for patience as we deal with the high volume of visits and requests for information," Tlakula said.

South Africans have been advised to SMS their ID number to 32810 or to visit the IEC website on www.elections.org.za and enter their ID number to find out if they need to register or change their details.