Former IEC Chairperson Brigalia Bam leaves the voting station minutes after casting her vote at Laerskool Lynwood. Picture: Phill Magakoe/IndependentNewspapers
Over 1.6 million South Africans are expected to cast their special votes before the May 29 elections, the Electoral Commission of South Africa announced on Tuesday in Pretoria.
There has been a significant focus on ensuring that all eligible citizens, both locally and abroad, have the opportunity to cast their votes.
The special vote process is particularly crucial for those who are unable to vote at their designated voting stations on election day due to various reasons, such as illness, disability, or being away from their voting district.
The IEC said the number of South Africans registered to vote for the 2024 national and provincial elections was 27,698,369. In addition, 55.24% of these are female and 44.76% are male.
The IEC’s chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said 1.6 million special vote applications to cast special votes were received before their May 3 deadline.
"Of which 1,043,483 will be voters who vote at voting stations where they are registered, and 624,593 are voters who will be visited at their homes or places of confinement," he said.
Similarly, South Africans living abroad are to participate in the electoral process this weekend when they cast their votes abroad on May 17 and 18. They will only be allowed to vote on the national-to-national ballot.
The IEC has verified that 58,704 South Africans residing abroad have registered to cast special votes.
To ensure the accuracy and security of the special vote process, both locally and abroad, IEC KZN regional spokesperson Thabani Ngwira said: “The safety and security for the election remain the priority of the South African Police Service (SAPS). As the Commission we are working closely with SAPS to ensure the delivery of a peaceful and incident-free election.’’
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