AS the national election approaches, the Independent Electoral Commission is gearing up for the final registration weekend on 8 and 9 February.
Residents are urged to register at their correct voting station on either on those days from 8am to 5pm.
According to Ward 10 councillor, Rick Crouch, you can only register up until 5pm on the day the President proclaims the election date (any time after 9 February). Once the election date is proclaimed, the voters’ roll closes and anyone who isn’t registered will not be able to vote.
You only have to register once, unless you move or your voting district changes. To register to vote, you have to be a South African citizen, have a green, bar-coded ID Book, ID Smartcard or Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC) and be over the age of 18.
To check your registration status, you can either send an SMS with your ID number to 32810, check your voter registration details online, call the call centre on 0800 11 8000 (toll-free from a landline), check at your voting station during a registration weekend, or check at your local municipal electoral office during office hours.
You can not register at any voting station, only the voting station in the voting district where you live. To find your voting station, call 0800 11 8000 or go to https://maps.elections.org.za/vsfinder, search for your address and click the location of your home on the map.
For those people who are unable to register on 8 or 9 February, you can contact and make an appointment to register at your local IEC office. Visit the website www.elections.org.za
All South Africans living abroad can also apply for registration until 7 February. To apply, you have to go to your nearest South African embassy, high commission or consulate with your valid ID (green, bar-coded ID book, ID Smartcard or Temporary Identity Certificate) and valid passport. You can apply during their normal working hours, or during the special registration weekends of 18/19 January and 25/26 January.
