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Local Elections

By only making an X, people with valid SA identity documents (ID) and who have registered as voters, will once again make a difference by voting in the coming municipality elections. The official date for the election has not been announced, but Independent Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Advocate Pansy Tlakula said it will be any time between 7 December and 6 March 2006.

Announcement

Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi will make the announcement. Tlakula said voting in the municipal elections was vital, because voters were able to elect people who they think will work for them in the municipality. “Unlike the national elections, with municipal elections, you are only allowed to vote in the area where you have registered. If you work in Johannesburg and live in Limpopo and know that you will be in Limpopo during the elections, you have to register there,” Tlakula said.

Challenge of turnout

“Our challenge is to keep a high voters turn-out. The turn-out for municipal elections is generally low world-wide,” she said. Tlakula added that they have registered more people in rural areas, because their campaign was more focused there. “We use catchy and streetwise music for our television and radio advertisements to get more young people to vote. ,” Tlakula said. “Earlier this year, we conducted a door-to-door campaign registering people whose voting districts have changed due to the new municipal borders,” she said.

Register

To check if you are registered, SMS your ID number from any cellphone to 32810, or call toll free number 0800 11 8000 between 8am and 5pm during the week.
You can register at your local Municipal Electoral Office. To find out where it is, call the IEC on 012 428 5700.