ELECTIONS
The Electoral Commission (IEC) is in the final stretch of preparations for the seventh democratic elections, which are believed to be the most contested in the history of the country.
South Africans will go to the polls on 29 May 2024 to elect the leadership for the seventh administration out of the 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates that were published by the IEC as final contestants in these elections.
In total, over 14 903 candidates vying for 887 seats in the National and Provincial Legislatures.
“The finalisation of the list of candidates contesting seats in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections (NPE2024) means that the Commission can now go ahead with the printing of ballot papers for the elections. The 27.79 million registered voters will receive three ballot papers to elect candidates to represent them in the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures.
“In consort with the provisions of the election timetable, the Electoral Commission has also published the list of addresses of the 23 292 voting stations that will be used in these elections. The route for mobile voting stations has also been published,” the IEC said recently.
The highest number of voting stations will be in Kwazulu-Natal (4 974), then the Eastern Cape (4 868) and Limpopo (3 216). All voting stations are now contracted with lease agreements concluded with landlords or owners.
Security plan
The government has, meanwhile, assured citizens that the elections will be conducted in a safe and secure environment.
“As the government, we want to issue a stern warning to anyone with intentions to disrupt the elections that law enforcement officers will deal with them decisively and will put them behind bars.
“We want to assure the public of the readiness of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security [JCPS] Cluster to execute its mandate of protecting the public, our country’s strategic installations and infrastructure during the election period…” Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise said.
The government also urged members of the public to report any crime related to elections to their nearest police station or IEC offices.
“A protocol has been established between the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, South African Police Service (SAPS) Detectives and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to prioritise all election-related crimes.
“Prosecutors stand ready to prosecute offences such as electoral fraud and corruption, removing or defacing political party and campaign posters, interfering with the duties of the electoral officials as well as forcing anyone to vote,” the Minister said.
SAnews.gov.za
DID YOU KNOW?
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will open its offices from 8 am to 1 pm, every Saturday from 06 April to 25 May 2024. This is to assist voters with application for new Identity Documents and Temporary Identity Certificates and the collection of these documents
Email
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp