KZN leads country in weekend voter registrations

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of voter registration transactions in the country during the weekend drive ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, as nearly three million South Africans turned out to register or update their details.

According to the Electoral Commission (IEC), KZN led all provinces with 691 504 registration transactions, accounting for 23% of the national total of 2.9 million recorded over two days.

The province also recorded 122 314 new voter registrations, reflecting a significant contribution to the continued growth of the national voters’ roll, which now stands at 28.5 million.

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Nationally, the registration weekend marked a sharp increase from the 1.7 million transactions recorded during a similar drive ahead of the 2021 local government elections.

The IEC said the strong turnout reaffirmed South Africans’ commitment to democratic participation, with the bulk of activity, 2.4 million transactions, involving voters verifying or updating their registration details to ensure they are correctly assigned to voting districts.

This is critical in local government elections, where voters may only cast ballots at the stations where they are registered.

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Young people emerged as a key driver of the registration surge, the Commission said.

Voters aged between 16 and 29 accounted for 785 078 transactions, representing 27% of total activity. Notably, 80% of all new registrations nationally came from this age group, signalling growing youth engagement.

Of the 785 078, 59% are women, while men represent 41%.

The majority of registrations were processed at voting stations using the IEC’s Voter Management Devices, while 12% were completed on the online registration portal.

The IEC has attributed the growth in registration numbers to improved efficiencies through digital systems and increased mobilisation efforts by political parties, community leaders and prospective candidates.

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To further boost participation, the Commission announced that its online voter registration portal has been zero-rated, allowing citizens to register or update their details without incurring data costs.

A second voter registration weekend has also been scheduled for August 1 and 2, giving those who missed the initial drive another opportunity to register.

The IEC said it will continue processing outstanding online applications and urged eligible voters to ensure their details are correct ahead of November 4.

Every registration strengthens South Africa’s democracy and ensures that communities have a voice in shaping the future of local government.