South Africans turned up in large numbers at the weekend to register and update their voter details ahead of the 2026 local government elections, with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) recording 2.9 million registration transactions over the two‑day drive.
Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the registration activity marked a significant improvement from the 1.7 million transactions recorded during the comparable 2021 registration weekend.
“The increase in the voters’ roll is attributable to, amongst others, the efficiencies introduced by Voting Management Devices, which have significantly enhanced the speed of processing voter registration applications, as well as the convenience of the online registration portal,” Mamabolo told journalists on Monday.
He said the surge in participation had pushed the national voters’ roll to 28.5 million, reversing the natural decline that occurs between elections due to mortality.
The IEC chief said of the 2.9 million transactions recorded over the past weekend, 477 174 were first‑time registrations while 2.4 million voters inspected or updated their details.
Young people aged 16 to 29 accounted for 785,078 transactions, representing 27 percent of all activity, with women making up the majority of youth participants.
Mamabolo said 80 percent of all new registrations came from this age group, indicating that youth‑focused outreach campaigns are gaining traction.
Most voters opted to register in person, with more than 2.5 million transactions processed at voting stations.
KwaZulu‑Natal recorded the highest provincial turnout with 691 504 registrations, followed by the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
The IEC said its online portal will remain open until the official proclamation of the 2026 local government elections, urging unregistered citizens to make use of the remaining window.
The upcoming local government polls will determine the leadership of South Africa’s municipalities, which are responsible for essential services such as water, electricity distribution, waste management and local development planning.
JN/APA