The African National Congress in the Eastern Cape congratulates the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on the spectacular success of the voter registration drive last weekend.
The overwhelming turnout is evidence that the Province heeded the call that government is in their hands , and through registering to vote they will advance people’s power.
The ANC led a massive registration blitz around the Province during voter registration weekend.
The organization’s leadership visited taxi ranks, malls ,churches, conducted door to door and a number of public venues to encourage South Africans to take advantage of their hard-won right to vote.
We are excited that voter registration in the Eastern Cape is the highest with 87% and commend our Provincial Elections Coordinator, Cde Zandisile Qupe and his team for a sterling work.
This is double the number recorded in a similar drive in 2014 , and sets a new record.
According to the commission, a total of 2,767,139 citizens visited voting stations at the weekend to register as new voters or update their registration.
This had been one of the busiest voter registration weekends in recent years, the IEC said.
Of the 2.76 million voters who visited stations at the weekend:
• 1,390,861 used the opportunity to reregister in their current voting district;
• 885,758 changed their registration to a new voting district; and
• 490,520 were voters registering for the first time.
More than 400,000, or 82 percent, of the new registrations were people under the age of 30 and approximately 54 percent were women.
That so many young South Africans including young women are participating in the political life of their country is a rejection of simplistic and reactionary narrative of ‘disaffected youth’ being peddled by certain opposition parties.
In coming out in their numbers young South Africans are reaffirming their confidence in the ballot as a tool to continue the ongoing project of socio-economic transformation towards a better life for all. Our country’s youth have heeded the call by the ANC for them to be part of this country’s future.
These numbers also show that millions of South Africans have not lost faith in the integrity of the electoral process.
The Independent Electoral Commission, set up and supported by the ANC-led government, continues to set the standard for professionalism.
We would like to appeal to all South Africans and particularly in our Province especially to those who have not registered, to visit their local IEC offices to register .
Issued by
ANC EC Communications
Enquiries:
ANC EC Media & Liaison Officer
Judy Mpetsheni
Mobile No: 0636878267/0731176194
Email:judy.ngoloyi@gmail.com
ANC EC Communications Manager
Gift Ngqondi
0848439706/0849519924
