IEC needs 2.8 million voters’ addresses

THE Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) is pinning its hopes on the voter registration drive at the weekend to reach as many voters as possible who still don’t have residential addresses on the voters roll.

Yesterday, the home affairs portfolio committee heard that there were about 2.8 million voters who were registered without residential addresses.

This comes as the IEC has to comply with a ruling of the Constitutional Court that ordered in June 2016 that it verify and add voters’ residential addresses after independent candidates successfully contested the outcomes of by-elections in Tlokwe, North West, in 2013.

The electoral body was given 18 months to complete verification and adding of voters’ residential addresses, but the order was suspended in an attempt to allow the August 2016 municipal elections to go ahead.

During the briefing of the committee yesterday, MPs were concerned whether the IEC would meet the deadline set by the court. They also wanted assurances that the deadline would be met and that other measures had been considered to address the matter.

“I still think this is quite a large number of people who are registered incorrectly. Are you satisfied that we are to reach the 2.8 million before the deadline?” the DA’s Haniff Hoosen asked.

The EFF’s Hlengiwe Hlophe-Mkalipi was adamant that the IEC will not reach all the 2.8 million voters. This prompted the DA’s Archibald Figlan to ask whether there were other ways being used to identify those voters without residential addresses.

IEC deputy chairperson Terry Tselane confirmed that the electoral body would not be able to update the details of all the voters.

“We hope with the registration weekend of March 10 and 11 we get as many people as possible,” Tselane said.

He also said eligible voters who did not have residential addresses on the voters roll would not be disqualified.