The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has called on political parties to play a greater role in encouraging South Africans to register and vote, saying they have the biggest incentive to mobilise voters ahead of the registration deadline.
The appeal follows observations that only the four largest political parties – the ANC, DA, MK Party (MKP) and EFF – appeared to be actively campaigning during the latest voter registration weekend, while many smaller parties showed little public activity.
On Saturday, Newsnote reported that the four major political parties were leading voter registration drives as the battle for South Africa’s metros intensified: https://newsnote.co.za/big-four-parties-make-final-voter-registration-push-as-battle-for-sas-metros-intensifies/
IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Sheburi said political parties are fundamental to South Africa’s democratic system and should actively encourage citizens to participate in elections.
“Ultimately, our system of representation is a multi-party system of representation, and therefore political parties are the essential platforms for representation. On voting day, the Electoral Commission will not appear on the ballot paper.
“So it is up to contestants themselves to animate voters, to share with them their vision for their communities, so that those voters, responding to positive messages that are voter-centric, can make an informed choice based on the competing political persuasions of the various political parties.”
The commission also confirmed that fewer people registered during the second voter registration weekend compared with the first.
According to Sheburi, approximately 2.1 million new voters have registered since the 2024 elections. However, more than 800,000 names have been removed from the voters’ roll during the same period, mainly due to deaths.
He said the lower turnout during the second registration weekend was expected, as many eligible voters had already registered online or during the first registration weekend.
The IEC has reminded eligible South Africans that they have until Friday to register, verify their registration details or change their voting station ahead of the upcoming local government elections.