IEC in Gauteng says voter registration weekend started smoothly
Residents of Soweto say they have grown increasingly frustrated by what they describe as years of government neglect, as communities continue to grapple with persistent service delivery failures.
Among their concerns are overflowing sewage systems, recurring water shortages, deteriorating infrastructure and a growing housing backlog, issues they say have negatively impacted their quality of life and limited economic opportunities.
They believe the upcoming elections will provide an opportunity for communities to demand tangible solutions to the challenges affecting their daily lives.
“Registering and voting is very important so that as a community, we can be able to have a say in the change that is supposed to happen in our community, to have a say in what is happening in the community in terms of crime and service delivery. There are a lot of things that need to be changed as well. And for the youth as well, it’s vital for them to go and register, as you’ve said; it’s the last day to register today. The world is in their hands, change is in their hands, so they should really consider going to register to vote,’ says a resident.
Video | Final voter registration weekend: Diepkloof residents share service delivery concerns:
The Electoral Commission in Gauteng says the first day of the final voter registration weekend ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections has started smoothly, with voting stations across the province opening their doors to prospective voters.
The registration drive is the last opportunity for eligible citizens to register, verify their details or update their voting addresses before the voters’ roll closes ahead of the official proclamation of the election date.
Gauteng remains the country’s largest voting province, with more than 6.6 million registered voters, accounting for just over 23 per cent of South Africa’s electorate.
Electoral officials hope to build on the momentum generated during the first registration weekend in June, which saw millions of voter registration transactions nationwide.
Video| Voter registration drive update from Jeppe Hostel:
In Limpopo, the province currently boasts more than 2,980,000 registered voters, accounting for just over ten per cent of the national voters’ roll.
During the previous voter registration drive in June, the province recorded more than 48,000 first-time voter registrations, reflecting continued interest in the electoral process.
However, electoral authorities believe thousands of eligible residents are still not registering.
Limpopo IEC Electoral Officer, Nkaro Matete, says, “We are quite excited that the June figures really improved our numbers. We are now standing at close to 2.9 million. Our target is just to be above 3 million registered voters here in Limpopo, because, as South Africa says, if we have the numbers, we need to have about 3.9 million registered voters.”
“The biggest gap, of course, is in Polokwane, which is the biggest municipality. More than 176,000 people are not yet on the voters’ roll here in Polokwane. The second is Fetakgomo Tubatse, with more than 135,000. We hope that because this is their last opportunity, they will show up or use the online registration system,” adds Matete.
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Meanwhile, residents of the Kai! Garib Local Municipality in the Northern Cape hope that participating in the electoral process will translate into real improvements in their daily lives.
Community members cite issues such as high unemployment, crime and poor service delivery as the key challenges they face.
Many say they are looking to the upcoming local government elections as an opportunity to elect leaders capable of addressing these longstanding problems.
“Water supply, electricity supply, because as the community we struggle a lot. There’s a lot of things that need to be done in this community, for instance, there’s a lot of dirt just lying around here in our community, and we also need light because it’s very dark here,” says a resident.
Video| Eenduin residents share service delivery issues during final voter registration weekend:
