All systems go for Western Cape weekend voter registration - IEC

The Western Cape branch of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has confirmed that preparations for the upcoming voter registration weekend are on track. Provincial electoral officer Michael Hendrickse expressed confidence in the smooth operation of the registration process, which will involve 1572 voting stations, including 26 temporary structures, and 4668 staff members. Hendrickse assured that police would be on standby to ensure a secure environment at the voting stations. The current Western Cape voters' roll stands at 3,219,875, and Hendrickse hopes to build on this figure during the registration weekend. He explained that voter management devices would be deployed to capture details seamlessly, even in offline mode during load shedding or poor signals. Voters without a formal address are expected to identify their residence location to IEC officers, and those with a new ID number need to re-register. Voters who changed their surnames but maintained their ID number do not need to re-register, while those who changed their gender marker in the ID number should re-register with the new ID number. Address changes should be updated for the voting station in the new location. Voting stations will open from 8 am to 5 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Those unable to visit a voting station can check their registration status and voting station details on the IEC website or via WhatsApp chatbot at 0600 88 0000. Home Affairs offices will open for an additional two hours on Friday for ID collection and will be open between 8 am and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday for ID applications, collections, and temporary identification certificate applications. Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza encouraged young people to apply for or collect their documents during this period. Clients can also book collection appointments via the branch appointment booking system on www.dha.gov.za.