The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) is ready to open its 22,925 voting stations throughout the country on Saturday morning, for this weekend’s final registration drive. The IEC said this is the last opportunity for eligible South African voters to register their details ahead of elections.

Registered voters are also urged to use the opportunity to check and update their details. Polling stations nationwide open at 08h00 and are due to close at 17h00 on Saturday and Sunday.

South African political parties are expected to be making their way to all corners of the country to encourage communities to register to vote.

Some 26 million voters are currently registered, with the IEC hoping to add another million more by the end of the month.

IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo highlighted that the commission remains eager for young people and first-time voters to register. He advised that voters need to register in the ward in which they ordinarily reside.

In another development, the IEC is the latest to welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law of the Political Party Funding Act, which requires that political parties reveal who is funding them every year.

Meanwhile, the commission has issued a warning about a fake job advertisement doing the rounds on social media.

According to the commission, the “fake news alert” post on Facebook claims that the IEC is planning to recruit volunteers by the end of January.

However, the commission dismissed the advert, having said recruitment of volunteers for weekend registrations has already been finalised. It added that each local office is responsible for their own recruitment and will advertise in their local media and communities.

The IEC advised those interested in applying to monitor local news from February, as volunteers for the upcoming general elections would be recruited from February 1st to April 30^th 2019.

VOC