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The Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mr Hlomani Chauke, has urged all South Africans to take advantage of the last registration weekend provided by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to register to vote in the upcoming national and provincial elections.
The call has been emphasised especially for young South Africans who have historically shown apathy to voting, to register to ensure participation in the elections. “The right to vote is enshrined in the Constitution and many people have fought, even died, to ensure that all South Africans participate in the democratic project of the country. This reason alone should be encouragement enough for people to vote,” said Mr Chauke.
The committee emphasised that for democracy to work, it requires regular and full participation by all eligible voters. “This is a primary civic duty that all adults must perform and is central in strengthening the constitutional order of the country,” Mr Chauke emphasised.
This voter registration weekend also provides the electorate and the IEC the opportunity to update the voters’ roll and bring it in line with the Constitutional Court ruling in relation to addresses on the roll. “We therefore call for those voters that are already registered to update their addresses on the roll,” Mr Chauke emphasised.
In line with this, the committee urges the Department of Home Affairs to consider extending operating hours for this coming weekend to enable people to pick up their Identity Documents that will enable them to register to vote.
The committee will within the next term engage the IEC on its preparedness to deliver credible elections as expected.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
