Pretoria - A total of 47 809 green bar-coded IDs were issued during the voter registration weekends in November 2013 and February 2014, says the Department of Home Affairs.
The department reported that during the voter registration weekends of 9-10 November 2013 and 8-9 February 2014, as well as the elections of May 2014, the department had issued a total of 47 809 IDs, 14 277 Temporary Identity Certificates and 6 397 Smart ID cards.
Over 105 000 ID applications were also received during the period.
The department said it was proud to have contributed to the successful holding of the 2014 general elections by making it possible for the citizens to apply for Temporary Identification Certificates and collect their Smart ID cards and green bar-coded IDs to enable them to vote.
“All home affairs offices were opened across the country with hours extended for the special voting on 5-6 May 2014 from 7:30am - 7:30pm and for the general elections on 7 May 2014 from 7am - 9pm, in line with voting hours declared by the IEC.
“A total of 3 074 home affairs officials were on duty on Elections Day with 2 860 in the provinces and 214 at Head Office, Pretoria. About 69 mobile offices were also deployed to reach out to communities where the department does not have a footprint,” the department said.
The department also extended its gratitude to all home affairs officials who walked an extra mile by ensuring that offices are opened beyond normal working hours in service of the people. – SAnews.gov.za
