Voters' roll surpasses 29 million despite removal of 884,000 names - Inside Politics
South Africa's voters' roll has surpassed the 29 million mark ahead of the 2026 local government elections despite the removal of 884,000 voters, mainly because of deaths, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Monday.
’s voters’ roll has surpassed the 29 million mark ahead of the 2026 local government elections despite the removal of 884,000 voters, mainly because of deaths, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced on Monday. Briefing the media, the IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo said the final voter registration weekend saw 1,794,051 registration transactions, bringing the country’s voters’ roll to more than 29 million registered voters. ALSO READ:Petrol falls 52c in August but diesel increasesHe said 291,806 people registered as first-time voters, while 1,502,245 already registered voters inspected or updated their registration details. The commission said the two voter registration weekends held in June and August this year added 754,332 new voters to the roll. “Properly understood, 2. 1 million new voters have been added to the voters’ roll since the last general elections in 2024. This is despite the fact that we regretfully [removed] 884,000 voters from the roll owing mainly to mortality estimated at 34,000 persons per month,” Mamabolo said. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of registration transactions during the final registration weekend with 427,592, followed by Gauteng with 314,856 and the Eastern Cape with 313,797. The commission said registration stations remained the preferred method of registration, accounting for 1,555,318 transactions, while the online voter registration portal processed 238,733 applications over the two days. Young people aged between 16 and 29 accounted for 485,757 registration transactions, representing 26% of all activity during the weekend. The commission said 46% of all new registrations came from voters younger than 29. The Electoral Commission also announced the introduction of voter registration through WhatsApp to make it easier for eligible South Africans to register or update their details before registration closes at midnight on Friday, 7 August. ALSO READ:Cold mornings and coastal showers expected across SA this week“The modality provides intuitive, convenient and mobile-friendly way to register or update voter details given the ubiquitous nature of the platform,” Mamabolo said. He urged eligible citizens who were unable to register during the station-based registration weekends to use the online voter registration portal or the new WhatsApp service before the registration deadline. The commission will brief the media on Friday after the election is proclaimed, outlining the election timetable and key milestones leading up to the local government elections on 4 November. INSIDE POLITICS