Voters roll tops 29 million after youth-driven registration surge

South Africa’s voters roll has grown to more than 29 million after a weekend registration drive that brought large numbers of young people to registration stations and the IEC online portal.

Strong youth participation

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said the registration weekend produced 1.7 million visits to registration stations and the online portal, of which 291,806 were first registrations. The commission highlighted that 46% of those new registrations were by voters under the age of 29.

“Even more encouraging is 46% of the new registrations are by voters under the age of 29,”

said IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo.

Provincial breakdown

The IEC reported provincial figures showing KwaZulu-Natal led the youth surge with 137,046 registrations, followed by the Eastern Cape with 79,417 and Gauteng with 78,405. KwaZulu-Natal also recorded the highest overall registration activity at 427,592, with Gauteng at 314,856 and the Eastern Cape at 313,797.

Other provinces recorded the following totals: Limpopo 209,516, Western Cape 134,291, Mpumalanga 133,378, North West 116,104, Free State 97,211 and Northern Cape 47,306.

How registrations were processed

Of the 1.7 million interactions, 1,555,318 applications were processed at physical stations. KwaZulu-Natal led physical processing with 386,258, followed by the Eastern Cape with 295,655 and Gauteng with 228,364.

The IEC’s online portal accounted for 238,733 registrations, with urban provinces dominating online activity: Gauteng 86,492, KZN 41,334 and Western Cape 33,783. Mamabolo said this reflected urban populations’ greater access to technology.

Gender split and roll changes since 2024

Women accounted for 1,005,790 (56%) of the weekend’s activity, while men made up 788,261 (44%). The IEC noted that among the new registrations the split was evenly balanced at 50% each.

Deputy chief electoral officer for electoral matters Masego Sheburi confirmed the voters roll now stands at more than 29 million. Since the May 2024 general election, the IEC said 2.1 million new voters were added, including those from the weekend, though mortality reduced the roll by about 800,000. The combined impact of the June and August 2026 registration weekends produced 4.7 million voter interactions, compared with 1.7 million during the comparable 2021 local government registration period.

What the IEC is focusing on next

Mamabolo reminded citizens that the law requires voters to register and vote in the district where they reside and that local government elections do not allow voting outside a registered station. He said the IEC’s next focus is preparations for election day.

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has announced Friday as the date for proclamation of local government elections. The IEC will release the official election timetable on Friday, which will include candidate nominations and certification of the voters roll leading to voting day on 4 November.

Youth surge and electoral impact

The IEC said whether the youth surge will affect outcomes in November is uncertain, noting that registration does not indicate party preference.

Context from 2024

The report noted that in the 2024 national and provincial elections, Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party won KwaZulu-Natal but was blocked from governing after the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party, DA and National Freedom Party formed a coalition.