29.2 million voters on the roll, IEC says as local government elections loom
The commission put the figure at a new high, describing the roll as South African citizens positioning themselves to shape local government's direction.
South Africa’s voters’ roll now carries 29.2 million names, the Electoral Commission announced, a figure it described as a new high.
The commission said the people on that roll are South African citizens who have positioned themselves to contribute to shaping the destiny of local government in the country. It described democratic elections as being about a people and their political destiny, and said the voter’s choice is sovereign.
The announcement was carried by eNCA (YouTube).
The figure is the only number in the commission’s statement, and it is the commission’s own count. The announcement did not break the roll down by province, age or registration status, and it did not say when local government elections will be held or when the roll will next be updated.
What the number does establish is scale. Just under 30 million South Africans are registered to vote in a country where local government decides on rates and service delivery in every municipality.
The commission’s full remarks are available in its broadcast, published at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOjW9_hPi7I.
