JOHANNESBURG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has opened more than 23,700 voting stations across the country for a two-day voter registration drive ahead of the 2026 local government elections, South African Government News Agency (SA News) reported on Saturday.
Masego Sheburi, a senior official of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, said nearly all voting stations were open and operating smoothly by 8:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, except for those that did not open on time due to community protests, SA News reported.
By Saturday noon, about 330,000 voter registration applications had been processed, with the commission describing the start of the registration weekend as "overwhelmingly positive," according to the report.
"Early indications point to young persons as the majority of applicants," Sheburi said.
Registration stations are expected to open across South Africa on Saturday and Sunday, allowing eligible citizens to register to vote, verify their details or update their addresses ahead of the local government elections.
The Electoral Commission has deployed more than 48,000 trained registration officials and over 39,000 voter management devices to support the process.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa, who serves as chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the 2026 local government elections, called on all eligible South Africans to participate in the registration weekend.
He said local government elections give citizens an opportunity to choose leaders who are directly responsible for delivering services and driving development in their communities.
The registration weekend forms part of preparations for the local government elections, scheduled for Nov. 4. Enditem
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