JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 7 — The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa announced Tuesday that a total of 27.4 million South African citizens have registered to vote in the upcoming elections this year. The IEC has added 1.2 million citizens to the voters’ roll since November 2023, said IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo at a press briefing. However, according to Mamabolo, there are 14 million young people in South Africa who are eligible to vote but have not yet registered to do so. Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape were the provinces that recorded the highest number of people registering to vote and checking their registration status, said Mamabolo, who added that the IEC is now focusing on ramping up preparations for the 2024 national and provincial elections. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a recent interview with local media that he will announce the election dates soon.
Xinhua
