VOTERS URGED TO REGISTER BEFORE END OF MARCH

1 March 2000

The Chief Electoral Officer of the Independent Electoral Commission, Professor Mandla Mchunu, today (Wednesday, 1 March 2000) called on all eligible voters to update their registration details with Local Elector Officers (LEOs) at municipal offices throughout the country before the end of March. "The number of registered voters on the National Common Voters' Roll on 31 March 2000 will be used to determine the demarcation of wards and the number of councillors in preparation for the local government elections, which is provisionally scheduled for 1 November this year," Professor Mchunu told journalists at a media briefing at the IEC head office in Pretoria.

He urged eligible voters to register and those who registered and voted in the national and provincial election held on 2 June 1999 to re-register if their personal details or addresses have changed.

The IEC and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) held a joint media briefing to announce areas of co-operation between the two organisations in the run up to the local government elections later this year.

A meeting was held between the two organisations on Friday, 25 February 2000, to discuss a common strategy in preparation for the local government elections. The IEC was represented by its Deputy Chairperson, Professor Herbert Vilakazi, and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (Electoral Operations), Norman du Plessis, at the meeting.

At today's media briefing, the SALGA Chairperson, Councillor Collin Matjila, and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of SALGA, Thabo Mokwena, and the Chief Electoral Officer, Professor Mandla Mchunu, and Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (Electoral Operations), Norman du Plessis, of the IEC outlined the process of co-operation between the two organisations for the coming local government elections.

Key areas of co-operation between the IEC and SALGA included:

• Ensuring SALGA and municipal council support for the identification and appointment of Municipal Electoral Officers (MEOs)
• Making municipal council infrastructure available to the IEC in support of the MEOs
• Engaging in activities and projects to promote the registration of voters
• Calling on eligible voters to register and re-register before 31 March 2000 to facilitate the demarcation of wards and the determination of the number of councillors
• Embarking on a voter education campaign at the municipal level, including staff and councillors Professor Mchunu stressed that the IEC would participate in a national campaign to educate municipal councillors and officials about the new local government electoral system.

"We will jointly promote, develop and create an administrative electoral capacity at the local level," he added.

ISSUED BY THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Pretoria
1 March 2000

For more information please call the IEC Director Media
Relations, Michael Overmeyer, on 083 325 7544 or Vusi Khoza of
SALGA on (012) 338 6700 or 083 453 4714