All systems go for next week’s polls, COGTA Minister confirms

Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has declared that it is ‘all systems go’ for South Africa’s upcoming local government elections.

Speaking in his capacity as COGTA Minister and a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Local Government, Hlabisa confirmed that logistical, technical, and security arrangements are fully on track ahead of the nationwide municipal polls.

From ballot paper printing and special voting arrangements to the inclusion of previously excluded candidates, Hlabisa says preparations are well underway.

“I made a call to the chairperson of the IEC on behalf of the government as the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee. We are satisfied, and we are ready as a country to host the elections, from the special votes Monday to Tuesday and the actual voting day for the general public on the 4th of November. But the IEC is a leading body in terms of logistics, the printing of the ballot papers and the management of the election process,” explains Hlabisa.

VIDEO | Minister Hlabisa gives an update on the state of readiness