Are you registered? IEC urges South Africans to register ahead of elections, as only 28 million are registered

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo says all 23 706 voting stations will open for registration, urging eligible South Africans to register, verify or update their details ahead of local elections.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says only 28 million out of an estimated 38 million eligible voters are currently registered, as it urges citizens to take part in the voter registration weekend on June 20 and 21 2026.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the Commission is fully prepared to open all 23,706 voting stations nationwide, saying: “The Electoral Commission is ready to welcome South Africans of voting age at all voting stations across the country during the registration weekend.”

Mamabolo said the weekend presents a key opportunity for voters to register, verify or update their details ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

He said the voters’ roll has increased to 28 million, up from 27.7 million during the 2024 national and provincial elections, but stressed that a large number of eligible South Africans remain unregistered.

He added that the roll continues to decline monthly by about 34,000 voters due to mortality.

Mamabolo said accurate registration is essential for local government elections, where voters must cast ballots in the voting district where they are registered.

“In the context of local government elections, voters vote in the voting district in which they are registered. There is no statutory mechanism to vote outside of the voting district in which voters are registered,” he said.

The IEC confirmed that all 23,706 voting stations will operate from 8 am  to 5 pm over the two-day registration weekend, including permanent, temporary and mobile stations deployed across the country.

KwaZulu-Natal will have the highest number of stations at 5,021, followed by the Eastern Cape with 4,984, Limpopo with 3,317, Gauteng with 2,832, Mpumalanga with 1,846, North West with 1 730, Western Cape with 1,623, Free State with 1,614 and Northern Cape with 739.

Mamabolo said the geographic spread of stations is aimed at ensuring access and encouraging participation, noting that the increase from 23 151 stations in 2021 is linked to the Municipal Demarcation Board’s ward review process.

He said the Commission has completed the deployment of voter registration materials, including 39 641 Voter Management Devices.

“These devices are central to modern voter registration operations, enabling real-time citizenship verification, accurate capture of voter details, and integration with the voters’ roll,” Mamabolo said.

A total of 48,212 registration staff have been trained and appointed, of whom 37,994 are women and 10,218 are men.

 “Significantly, 34,404 of the appointed staff members are unemployed qualified personsm,'' Mamabolo said. 

He said the recruitment process was conducted in consultation with political liaison structures, with names shared for objections where necessary.

The IEC said the registration weekend takes place during Youth Month, noting that more than 70% of 18- to 19-year-olds are still unregistered.

It said its Tertiary Institutions Campaign has reached 269,552 students, with 158,446 newly registered voters.

The Commission also said 303, 953 voters affected by boundary changes were reached, resulting in 51,475 new registrations and 252,478 updated records.

Mamabolo said the process ensures voters are correctly placed in their wards and improves the accuracy of the voters’ roll.

The IEC said more than 6.6 million people have been reached through its civic education campaign, supported by SABC programming, community radio, and digital platforms.

It added that its contact centre has handled 51,400 interactions ahead of the weekend.

As the weekend approaches, the Commission urged eligible South Africans to register, verify or update their details at voting stations or via the online portal at registertovote.elections.org.za.

The IEC said it remains committed to delivering free, fair and credible elections, calling on citizens to take part in strengthening South Africa’s democracy through voter registration.