Registration weekend goes smoothly
South African citizens were given a second chance on Saturday and Sunday, February 8 and 9 respectively, to register to vote in the 2014 upcoming elections.
According to the IEC, registration was reported to proceed briskly at registration stations around the country.
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela says early indications from the country’s 22 263 registration stations showed that young people were heeding the call to participate in the elections which mark the 20th year of democracy.
“It is estimated that on February 8, there was total registration activity of about 1.2-million across the country.
“Initial indications show that about half of all visitors to registration stations were new voters aged 18 to 29 years old,” says Bapela.
Bapela says a spike in registrations was also reported at stations at or near universities and colleges.
Some of the hiccups that were encountered include heavy rain and flooding causing logistic challenges to registration stations.
Bapela assures that the situation is being monitored and that the IEC will engage with the affected communities to make sure they are registered.
Areas that have been experiencing community protest action were reported as calm during registration.
Voters who are already registered can check their registration details, including which voting station they are registered at, by SMSing their ID number to 32810.
