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Voter registration for November’s local government elections got off to a shaky start in parts of the Eastern Cape on Saturday after community protests disrupted operations at several voting stations.
Despite the disruptions, more than 193,000 people had registered by 5pm, according to the Electoral Commission (IEC).
Provincial electoral officer Kayakazi Magudumana said 193,443 people had registered during the first day of the registration weekend, including 22,847 new voters. A further 7,593 people registered online.
Registration was disrupted at four voting stations in the Intsika Yethu, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Ntabankulu and Kumkani Mhlontlo municipalities due to community protests.
Magudumana said local leaders intervened, allowing operations to resume at most of the affected stations.
“There’s one station in Kumkani Mhlontlo in Ward 24 where the operations could not commence from morning until 5pm due to a protest that was also accompanied by intimidation of our staff,” she said.
“As a result of that, we could not be operational the whole day.”
Buffalo City recorded the highest number of new voter registrations, with 4,279 people signing up, followed by Nelson Mandela Bay with 2,998.
In the OR Tambo district, Nyandeni municipality registered 1,465 voters, while King Sabata Dalindyebo recorded 1,311 registrations. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela municipality registered 1,268 voters.
Magudumana said the figures were expected to increase as registration continued at stations where voters were still in queues after the official closing time.
“Where there are still queues, these figures are likely to change because registration is currently continuing in those stations,” she said.
“We are appealing to everyone who was unable to visit a station today to make sure they do tomorrow, as it is our last day of registration.”
The voter registration drive continues on Sunday ahead of the local government elections scheduled for November 4.
At the Rotary Stadium voting station in Ngangelizwe, Mthatha, residents continued arriving throughout the day to register and verify their details. By shortly before 3pm, about 50 people had registered at the station.
The IEC has urged eligible voters to use the final day of registration to either register for the first time or update their voting details before the voters’ roll closes.
Daily Dispatch