The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced that over 18,469 South African citizens living in 101 countries around the world have started registering to vote using the newly launched online registration portal system.
The system has been operational since December 2023.
This was revealed by the Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, on Thursday during a media briefing on the commission’s state of readiness for the registration weekend of South Africans living abroad ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Mamabolo hoped that the introduction of an online registration system would attract the majority of citizens from abroad.
The voter registration weekend is expected to take place this weekend from January 26 to 28.
During the briefing, he urged citizens abroad to register either online or in person at their nearest South African mission. This included South African high commissions, embassies, and consulates.
“Eligible voters are encouraged to check with their nearest mission on the registration dates and times. Registration requires a South African identity document as well as a South African passport,” he said.
However, according to Mamabolo, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) had informed them that three missions—Israel, Sudan, and Ukraine—were temporarily closed due to security concerns.
He advised SA citizens in the countries to register to vote to register through the IEC online portal.
The countries with the most registrations online are as follows:
United Kingdom - 5,938
The Netherlands - 1,844
The United Arab Emirates - 1,068
The United States - 821
Ireland - 675
Australia - 588
New Zealand - 314
Cuba - 293
Portugal - 284
Belgium - 280
In Africa, South Africans have begun to register in the following 28 countries:
Mauritius - 316
Lesotho - 224
Namibia -148
Botswana - 170
Zambia - 96
Zimbabwe - 77
Kenya -73
Ghana - 45
Tanzania - 40
In the 2019 elections, about 21,000 South Africans voted abroad, with 7,023 of them being newly registered.
Mamabolo further pleaded with businesses and organisations around the world to encourage their South African employees to register during this registration weekend.