South Africans have until Friday to register to vote in the national and provincial elections of 2024. 

On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the election date as Wednesday, 29 May 2024.

“I call on all South Africans to exercise their democratic right to vote and for those who will be campaigning to do so peacefully, within the full observance of the law. We also urge unregistered voters to use the online registration platform to register,” Ramaphosa said in a statement. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: 2024 Elections Knowledge Base

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) welcomed the announcement, saying it would “pull out all the stops” in preparation for the polling day.

“The Electoral Commission reminds South Africans that, while the date has been set and announced, eligible voters have until Friday, 23 February 2024 to register. The later date is the anticipated day of the proclamation of the election date,” IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said in a statement.

Government Gazette

That proclamation in the Government Gazette closes the voters’ roll, according to section 24 of the Electoral Act as amended. 

Read more in Daily Maverick specialist reporter Marianne Merten’s elections explainer here.

[Media Statement] Electoral Commission welcomes the announcement of the election date pic.twitter.com/2tVwcSL9fX

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) February 21, 2024

Earlier this month, the IEC wrapped up its voter registration weekends. Bapela said that “following this overall voter registration campaign, the voters’ roll now stands at 27.6 million voters”.

South Africa has an eligible voting pool of about 42.3 million people.

South Africans who still want to register to vote, and those who need to update their address details, can visit the IEC’s offices in their municipality or use the IEC’s online voter registration portal. 

South Africans living abroad can register to vote online, for the first time, here.

If you aren’t registered, you cannot vote.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Just registered to vote in the 2024 elections? Here’s what you need to know next

“Following the proclamation of the election date, the Electoral Commission will publish the Election Timetable in the Government Gazette after consultation with the National Party Liaison Committee. The Election Timetable will outline the various cut-off dates for the performance of certain electoral activities,” said Bapela. 

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“The Electoral Commission reminds eligible voters of the general rule in elections. That is, a person must register where they live, and vote at the voting station where they are registered. The only exception to the rule is that a voter may vote outside of the voting district of registration upon notifying the Electoral Commission by a date to be regulated by the Election Timetable,” she continued. DM