Your vote is critical

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the Ilembe district is hoping for a big jump in the number of registered voters who will make their mark in the fifth national democratic election.
District officials briefed the media on Friday, ahead of the final voters’ registration weekend on February 8 and 9.
District manager Paul Daniel said it is vital that all eligible voters register.
“As the IEC our role is to monitor elections and build democracy. We need our people to be involved to do that.”
District statistics show that 287 122 voters were registered by November, leaving 15 157 eligible voters who still need to be placed on the voters’ roll.
According to statistics shared by district outreach co-ordinator Hlengiwe Dlamini 79,5% of voters are registered in Mandeni, 77,30% in KwaDukuza, 86% in Ndwedwe and 93,80% in Maphumulo.
This lea-ves 2157 potential new registrations in Mandeni, 6907 in KwaDukuza, 3804 in Ndwedwe and 2289 in Maphumulo.
“We must close the gap between the number of eligible voters recorded by Stats SA and the voters’ roll. Democracy requires full public participation and we want to see all who are eligible to vote, doing so,” said Dlamini.
Stats SA shows there are 5374 eligible voters in ward six (Ballito), 4961 of which are registered (92,32%).
Of 8180 eligible voters in ward 22 (Shakaskraal, Tinley Manor, Salt Rock) 5710 were registered by November (69,81%).
Ward 17 (Stanger Manor) and ward 19 (KwaDukuza CBD, Rocky Park, Townview) both showed pleasing registration, with 79,09% and 88,80% registered respectively.
Etete (ward 20) is the only ward with a full voters’ roll – the ward recorded an additional 297 new registrations, above the expected 2277.
The lowest voter registration is in ward 24 (Melville) with only 4113 (63,78%) of 6449 eligible voters registered.
Daniel said the public must remember their vote is significant and will affect national and local government.
“The number of people on our roll dictates the number of wards, demarcation and the allocation of councillors ahead of the local government elections. It is critical that you vote.”
Mayor Ricardo Mthembu also urged people to register to vote, in light of the statistics.
“We note the fact that some people have not yet registered to vote, however the municipality has been working very closely with the IEC on various campaigns to encourage participation.”

What you need to know:
IEC offices are open during office hours (8am -5pm) until February 9 for voter registration.
You can text your ID number to 32810 to check if you are registered. The IEC will text back with your voting station and registration details.
You may not vote or register by proxy – you must do so in person with your green bar-coded ID or smart ID.
You must ensure the person registering you is a bona fide IEC official. Ask them to provide credentials if you are not sure.
There are 352 voting stations in Ilembe (81 in KwaDukuza) you must vote at the one nearest to your permanent/fixed address.
The IEC’s database is linked to the department of home affairs, so fraudulent documents will be declined and registration denied.