• On Tuesday evening President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the intention to host the 2024 National Elections on 29th May.
• The president is yet to sign the official proclamation confirming the date, but the Presidency says this will be issued in due course.
• South Africans can still register to vote on 29th May until the proclamation is signed and the voter roll is closed.

This week is turning into a massive one for South African politicians. Not only have multiple Premiers presented their State of the Province Address, but later today the budget for 2024 will be tabled by Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana.

On Tuesday evening South Africa finally received word on when the 2024 General Elections will take place. As announced by the Presidency, the elections are set for 29th May 2024.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa has, in accordance with section 49(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, read with section 17 of the Electoral act of 1998, determined 29 May 2024 as the date for the 2024 General National and Provincial Elections. The President has also, in line with section 17(2) of the Electoral act 73 of 1998, consulted with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on the election date. Furthermore, the President convened a meeting with all 9 Provincial Premiers and the IEC to discuss the state of readiness for the General Elections,” the Presidency wrote in a statement.

While it’s unlikely to change, the date for the elections could still be moved as Ramaphosa has yet to sign the proclamation declaring the date. The good news is that this means there is still time for South Africans who have dragged their feet when it comes to registering for the elections.

Citizens still looking to register for the elections can visit an IEC office. You can contact the IEC in your province by using the contact information on this page for more information.

Alternatively, citizens can register online. This is the route we recommend as you don’t need to go to an IEC office and it’s incredible quick. We registered online one Sunday afternoon and within a few minutes, it was confirmed that we were registered to vote.

To register online simply head to this URL, follow the prompts and before you know it you’ll be registered to vote on 29th May.

Bear in mind that once the election date proclamation has been signed, the voter roll will be closed and registration will no longer be possible. As to when that proclamation will be made, we don’t know but it could happen any day now. With that in mind, we highly recommend you register to vote today.

You can check your voter registration status on this webpage or you can text your ID number to 32810. Note that this SMS will cost you R1.

“Beyond the fulfilment of our constitutional obligation, these upcoming elections are also a celebration of our democratic journey and a determination of the future that we all desire. I call on all South Africans to exercise their democratic right to vote and for those who will be campaigning to do so peacefully, within the full observance of the law. We also urge unregistered voters to use the online registration platform to register,” Ramaphosa concluded.

[Image – Leopictures from Pixabay]