From the news desk

Muslims urged to register to vote this weekend

Share this article

Islamic organisations have urged Muslims to register to vote this weekend ahead of the 2019 national elections. Despite its best efforts to collect the addresses of voters, the electoral commission does not have addresses for 2.8 million voters. The registration drive takes place on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11 March at open centres across the country.

The Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) says the political landscape nationally and internationally compels Muslims to play a leading role in the “fiqh of citizenship”.

“We have the responsibility as Muslim citizens to serve humanity. Our participation in elections ensures that we influence those who represent our values and aspirations to serve humanity,” said President Shaykh Irafaan Abrahams.

In a statement, the Jamiat SA’s Maulana Ebrahim Bham says by actively participating in elections, Muslims are also able to exercising their duty of enjoining in what is right and forbidding what is erroneous.

“The Almighty declares to Muslims in the Qur’an: “You are the best nation evolved for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allâh.”

Bham said voting is Muslims contribution as citizens of South Africa towards preserving democracy.
“It is an investment in our own future and an exercise to preserve and promote the common good of our rainbow nation. It starts with registration and verification of our details on the voters’ roll.

We can make a difference by:
1. Registering yourself and your families to vote.
2. Ask all your community organizations and mosques to encourage everyone older than 17 to register and vote.
3. Request your NGO’s to encourage their networks to register and vote.
4. If you will be 18 or older by the time of next year’s elections, then please apply for a Smart ID card this weekend.

What documents do you need to register?

You will require a green, bar-coded ID book or smartcard ID or a valid Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC). If you have voted before, you can also verify your details on the voters’ roll by SMSing your ID number to 32810. Voting stations will be open this weekend between 8am and 5pm to register both first time voters and those that want to re-register for reasons such as having moved to a new ward, town or province.
Home Affairs offices are open this Saturday and Sunday 8am-5pm for the collection of IDs and immediate issuance of temporary ID certificates. Contact Home Affairs on 0800 60 11 90 with your ID queries.


Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WhatsApp WhatsApp us
Wait a sec, saving restore vars.