Local government polls to be held in August

17 February 2016

 

Local government polls, which will see millions of registered voters elect councillors for a new five-year term, will take place by August this year.

 

Delivering his State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma announced that local government elections would be held within three months after May 18, the date of the last municipal polls five years ago.

The exact date is still to be determined by the President.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which has recruited an extra 50 000 people on a temporary basis to beef up its 1 000 permanent staff complement, has called on unregistered voters to take advantage of the March 5-6 voter registration drive. IEC Chief Electoral Officer Mosotho Moepya urged young people to play their part in strengthening South Africa’s democracy after statistics revealed that of about 9 million eligible voters not currently registered, 6.2 million were under the age of 30.

“For the country’s democracy to continue growing and thriving, young people need to register and vote in great numbers. That’s why our main focus as the IEC is to target the youth,” said Moepya.

The number of municipalities has been reduced from 278 to 257 after the Municipal Demarcation Board revised the country’s voting districts. There are eight metros (unchanged from 2011), 205 local municipalities (266 in 2011) and 44 district municipalities (unchanged from 2011). There are 4 392 wards, a 15% reduction from the 2011 figure.

There are at present 22 513 voting stations in the country. The IEC said this number was expected to increase to about 22 600. There were 20 859 voting stations in 2011.

You can reach the IEC by calling the toll-free number 0800 11 8000 from Monday to Friday. Its call centre is open from 7am to 9pm. Its website address is www.elections.org.za.