MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / IEC Registration delays could undermine the rights of South African’s abroad

IEC Registration delays could undermine the rights of South African’s abroad

Dear Editor

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) may undermine the rights of South Africans abroad as the single in-person registration weekend, initially proposed for November 2023, has been delayed to an undetermined date – reportedly only after the second registration weekend in South Africa has taken place.

In addition to this, the highly anticipated launch of online registration for South Africans abroad has been delayed three times from an initial launch date of 6th October, with no new date confirmed.

With more than 2 million South Africans either living, working, studying, or traveling abroad, the IEC has an obligation to provide these citizens with their constitutional right to register and to vote. Registration is currently limited to embassies, high commissions and consulates, leaving many citizens abroad facing logistical and geographic challenges to access these facilities.

The only solution to ensuring they have the opportunity to vote in 2024 would be online registration, and an increased number of voting stations to accommodate countries with high numbers of citizens.

The DA Abroad will immediately request an updated launch date for online registration for citizens living abroad as any further or extended delays to the launch of this system are unacceptable.

The IEC must also provide a proper plan for in-person registration that provides South Africans abroad with enough time to reach their nearest registration point.

The IEC launched Election 2024 to great fanfare in South Africa this week, but what is needed are concrete deliverables to ensure that all citizens will receive a functioning and fair electoral system.

The DA Abroad will continue to work through our officials in South Africa and our network abroad to safeguard election 2024 for all.

Regards

Ludre Stevens
DA Abroad Chairperson

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • NSFAS 2027 applications close on 31 October — SASSA households, apply now

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. NSFAS applications for the 2027 academic year close on Friday 31 October 2026, and no extension is expected. If your household receives a SASSA grant, your child already passes the NSFAS financial eligibility test — but they still have to…

  • Publish the Call, Then Publish the Grade

    Dear Editor, South African football fans argue about everything — lineups, referees, who should start up front. But there’s one argument we never have, because nobody gives us the numbers: were the predictions we read all week actually any good? I help run XG Mind AI, a small independent football data lab. Our rule is…

  • Don’t Ignore a SASSA Review Notice — It Is Not a Cancellation

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. SASSA has reminded beneficiaries that a grant review is not a cancellation. A review simply checks whether a beneficiary still meets the qualifying requirements — it can be triggered by a change in income, employment, marital status, address, contact details…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. South Africa is such a great country and an African Sunset is on my bucket list, do you have any accommodation and/or tour recommendations for the Cape Town Area?

  2. Ja, Nee – Yes, NoOften used in succession, these two words are used to express agreement or confirmation with someone or something.Example: “Ja, Nee, I’m fine thanks.”