May 8 officially a public holiday

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has officially proclaimed May 8 as the day on which the general elections will be held.

Various political parties are already campaigning, with some still launching their manifestos in preparation for the elections, which are set to be the most fiercely contested since 1994.

In a statement, the Presidency said Ramaphosa had dissolved the National Assembly in terms of Section 50 (1) of the Constitution, and that the election date had now been published in the Government Gazette.

“The president has also, in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, declared May 8, 2019, a public holiday,” the Presidency said.

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has welcomed the proclamation, saying it triggered the official election timetable, which will also be published in the Government Gazette.

“The proposed election timetable spans the next 71 days, and lays down the key dates and deadlines for various milestones until voting day,” the commission said.

The IEC said one of the legal consequences of the proclamation was the closure of the voters roll for this year’s elections.

“This means no new applicants may be admitted to the voters roll for purposes of the National and Provincial Elections. This will include both additional registrations and re-registrations,” the IEC said.

To date, 26765886 South Africans have been recorded as registered voters by the commission.

The proclamation has also triggered the opening of the candidate nomination process for the upcoming elections, with the closing date set to be included in the election timetable, according to the commission.