The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)’s first voter registration weekend got off to a slow start this morning in Rustenburg, North West.
The Commission has set aside the next two days — 20 and 21 June 2026 — to allow eligible citizens to register to vote or update their registration details at their respective local stations across the country, ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
A total of 1,730 voter registration stations across municipal districts in the North West province opened at 8am this morning and are expected to close at 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
In Rustenburg, residents trickled into stations sporadically during the early hours of opening, particularly at sites visited by our newsnote correspondent — Whitehouse Hall near the Rustenburg municipal offices in town, and Ramochana Primary School, just a stone’s throw away.
Various political parties were also present, setting up gazebos and wearing party regalia as they camped adjacent to the registration stations.
Despite the slow start, the parties remain optimistic that more residents will turn out in greater numbers over the course of the weekend.
ACTION SA Branch Secretary in Ramochana township, Keamogetswe Olehile, said party volunteers had engaged residents through door-to-door campaigns and broader community outreach programmes.
“We have done our part. We have encouraged eligible voters and residents to register or update their details for the upcoming local government elections. It is important because we want to take over the administration of this municipality so that we can fix the roads and deliver basic services to our people. There is no water, electricity is inconsistent, so we encourage them to come out and register,” said Olehile.
The ANC Youth League echoed similar sentiments.
Lesego Ramasesane, ANCYL Deputy Branch Secretary, said sufficient groundwork had been done to encourage community participation in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the IEC confirmed on Thursday that more than 39 million South Africans are eligible to vote, but only around 28 million are currently registered to participate in the democratic process.
