Many voters register for 2024

Hundreds of residents in Benoni heeded the call to register for next year’s national and provincial elections during the first registration drive on November 18 and 19.

Voting stations across Benoni opened on time with no disruptions or challenges reported.

The Benoni City Times visited Northfield Methodist Church, Isaac Makau Primary School and Wattville Day Care Centre and found a slow registration turnout in the afternoon.

Ursula Vermeulen of Northmead, who updated her details at Northfield Methodist Church, said she believed her vote next year would bring change.

“I’d be happy if the electricity challenges in the country could be sorted out, and the service delivery issues in Benoni,” said Vermeulen.

Another eligible voter spotted registering at a daycare centre in Wattville, Maxwell Nkabinde, said he had lost hope in all the political parties but believes not registering to vote is not an option.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) recorded over two million registrations at the 23 296 registration stations across SA.

The IEC recorded an all-time milestone of over 40 000 online registrations.

It applauded the South Africans who went online and visited their registration stations to register, re-register or check their details.

Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said the department welcomed nearly 12 000 people in its 268 offices and 103 mobile units that offered services on the first of the two-day service delivery blitz during the Voter Registration Weekend.

“More than 3 350 people visited offices in KwaZulu-Natal. Another 1 950 went to offices in the Western Cape, and 1 704 people were assisted in Gauteng. More than 660 people applied for and received their Temporary Identification Certificates on the spot. Most of them were in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape,” said Qoza.

Also Read: 2024 Elections: Voter registration weekend November 18 and 19

Also Read: What you need to know about the voter registration weekend