Johannesburg - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is hoping to attract 1.5 million potential new voters on its voters' roll for the forthcoming municipal elections.
Unveiling the 2011 municipal elections logo in Midrand on Wednesday, IEC Chief Electoral Officer, Adv Pansy Tlakula, said all voting stations will be open on 5 and 6 February from 8am to 5pm to give people a chance to register.
"Currently, there are 23 181 997 voters on our voters' roll, and we are committed to increasing it with 1.5 million new potential voters. We are doing our outmost in our voter outreach initiatives to reach out to as many South Africans as possible, especially voters will little or no formal education and first time voters," she said.
Tlakula added that operations at IEC were on track, and that they were highly motivated to maintain the high standards South Africans have come to expect of elections.
The 2011 municipal elections will take place in eight metropolitan, 226 local, 44 district councils and 4 277 wards.
The IEC has increased its voting districts from 19 726 to 20 868, an increase of 6 percent.
According to Tlakula, over 60 000 registration officials have been trained for the voter registration weekend, while a further 196 000 staff members will be recruited for Election Day.
Tlakula urged South Africans to visit their nearest voting stations for registration purposes and to verify their details in the first week of February.
"We urge people to go and register in large numbers and those who have moved house; they should also go to re-register," she said.
The increased number of wards will result in 4 555 different types of ballot papers for these elections.
According to Tlakula, in a metropolitan council, a voter will receive two ballot papers, one for proportional representation (PR) and the other for ward councillor. In a local council, voters will receive three ballot papers, one for a PR, one for district councillor and one for a ward councillor.
The IEC has so far dealt with 69 objections relating to registration officials, who allegedly did not meet the set criteria. Officials are not supposed to be involved in active politics for at least five years. After investigation, the IEC removed and replaced 50 officials.
The highest number of objections came from Limpopo, with 38 candidates who were all found to be politically active, followed by the Western Cape, with 10 candidates replaced for canvassing for a particular political party.
The deposit payable for contesting elections will also increase from R3 000 to R4 000 for contesting both PR and ward elections in metropolitan councils; from R2 000 to R 2 500 for contesting both PR and ward elections in local councils.
Contesting PR elections only in district councils will cost R1 500 and R 1 000 to contest as a ward or independent candidate.
The chairperson of the IEC, Dr Brigalia Bam, also unveiled the 2011 municipal elections logo.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and leaders of various political parties were also present to witness the unveiling.
