Cape Town – The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced a second voter registration weekend, scheduled for 1 and 2 August, providing eligible South Africans with another opportunity to register to vote or update their registration details ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Acoording to IOL, during a media briefing on Monday following the recent voter registration weekend, IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the additional registration period forms part of the commission’s efforts to improve voter access and encourage greater electoral participation.
“The Commission announces a second voter registration weekend, which will take place on the 1st and 2nd of August. This additional weekend will provide additional opportunities for citizens to register and to update their details,” Mamabolo said.
The announcement follows a successful registration drive over the weekend, during which 2.9 million voter registrations were recorded. As a result, the national voters’ roll has grown to 28.5 million voters, up from 27.7 million in 2024.
According to the IEC, 477,174 new voters registered during the weekend, with 379,767 — or 80% — falling within the 16 to 29 age group. Mamabolo said the figures demonstrate that young South Africans are responding positively to efforts aimed at increasing youth participation in elections.
“The figures indicate that youth-focused campaigns are finding resonance with young persons and that, far from being apathetic, young people are responding positively,” he said.
Mamabolo attributed the increase in registrations to improvements introduced through voting management devices (VMDs), which have streamlined registration processes, as well as the convenience of the IEC’s online voter registration platform.
The commission also announced that its online voter registration portal has been zero-rated, allowing eligible South Africans to register, update their details and verify their registration information without incurring data costs.
Reg weekend updates:
YouTube: https://t.co/2Mj6WLAEiU…
Facebook: https://t.co/hHpgfnV2NK…🔹About 477 174 were first time registrations
🔹Voter registration details updates account for 2.4 million.
🔹Females voters account 1.6 million
🔹Male voters account for 1.2 million pic.twitter.com/dH4Bs3ATf2— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) June 22, 2026
“Firstly, the online voter registration portal is now zero-rated, allowing all eligible South Africans to register, update their details, and verify their registration information without incurring data charges,” Mamabolo said.
According to the IEC, both the second registration weekend and the zero-rated online platform form part of broader efforts to remove barriers to participation and strengthen electoral inclusion.
“Both these initiatives form part of ongoing efforts to remove barriers to participation and to strengthen electoral inclusion,” Mamabolo said.
In addition, the commission confirmed that its online candidate nomination system is now operational for political parties and prospective independent candidates.
“Lastly, the online candidate nomination system is now live for political parties and prospective independent candidates to capture their candidates as well as supporters’ information,” Mamabolo said.
The IEC said it will soon begin training registered political parties and prospective independent candidates on the nomination process and the submission of supporters’ lists.
Meanwhile, the commission is continuing to process and verify voter registration applications submitted through the online portal. Mamabolo revealed that approximately 30,000 online applications remain pending, largely due to poor-quality identity document images uploaded by applicants.
“There are currently about 30,000 pending online applications. These applications are pending primarily due to the quality of the ID image that voters uploaded,” he said.
Mamabolo assured voters that IEC teams are working to resolve the outstanding applications and will contact affected individuals where necessary.
“Our teams will process those transactions and, if necessary, contact the affected voters,” he said.
The IEC has reminded citizens who have not yet registered that the online voter registration portal will remain open until the official proclamation of the 2026 local government election date.
According to the commission, the 2.9 million registrations recorded over the two-day registration period mark a significant improvement on the 1.7 million registrations achieved during the 2021 local government election registration campaign.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
