Electoral Commission Concludes Revision Of Voting District Boundaries

South Africa's Electoral Commission revealed on Monday that the revision of voting district boundaries has been concluded to ensure that voters can access the National and Provincial Elections next year.

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the increase in voting districts will help improve access and convenience to vote in the next elections.

"Nationally there are 1,925 affected voting districts identified for this campaign, the majority of which are in KwaZulu-Natal (774), the Eastern Cape (332), and Limpopo province (296)," he explained, SA News reported.

Mamabolo went on to share that an Electoral Commission campaign from Oct. 2 to Oct. 27 will look into targeted communication and re-registration of voters.

"Our fieldworkers, identifiable by identification card and vest clearly marked with IEC branding, will be equipped with voter management devices (VMDs) to re-register voters on the spot," he added.

Mamabolo noted that if voters were not available at home, the fieldworkers would drop a flyer to share the details of the new voting district and station, the national registration weekend dates, and also direct them to the Voter Portal, which allowed citizens to register themselves online 24/7.

Furthermore, voters are asked to check their registration status on the Electoral Commission's Voter Portal. In case, voters are not able to visit the website, they can also SMS their ID number to 32810 to get a notification of the current voting district and station.

"We appeal to voters that if your voting district has indeed changed, it is important that you re-register in your new voting district to ensure that your name appears on the voters' roll segment for your voting district on Election Day," Mamabolo said.

The Electoral Commission is all set to host the first registration weekend for the 2024 Elections on Nov. 18 and 19 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The next year's South African general election will mark the seventh election since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.

The Dutch colonized the country in 1652, while the British took over in 1795. The apartheid system was introduced in 1948 by the National Party to enforce racial segregation and discrimination. This system ended in the late 20th century when Nelson Mandela became the first black president in 1994.

As South Africa commemorated Heritage Day on Sept. 24, Deputy President Paul Mashatile recalled last month that the country had a painful past. He also praised the country's efforts in overcoming oppressive regimes.