370,000 IDs still uncollected as Home Affairs opens until 9pm on voting day
The department and the IEC have extended operating hours so voters can collect their identity documents before the 4 November national election.
More than 370,000 identity documents are still sitting uncollected at Home Affairs, with the national election on 4 November now hours away.
Home Affairs has partnered with the Electoral Commission to get those IDs into the hands of their owners, and has extended its operating hours to do it. Offices will be open until 9pm on voting day, according to eNCA (YouTube), which reported from outside the Home Affairs offices in Randburg on Tuesday.
Queues of people arriving to collect IDs, or to apply for temporary ones, were visible at the Randburg office.
People who want to cast a vote are being encouraged to use the extended hours to collect their documents and make their mark. A voter without an identity document cannot be issued a ballot, which makes the uncollected stack a direct constraint on how many people can take part.
The IEC has not said how many of the 370,000 uncollected IDs belong to registered voters. Home Affairs has not said whether offices outside the extended voting-day arrangement will follow the same hours.
Source: eNCA (YouTube), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKUL5jczSyQ
