Thapelo Molefe
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa led the party’s voter registration campaign in Ekurhuleni on Saturday as South Africans head to voting stations for the first day of the voter registration weekend ahead of the November Local Government Elections.
Ramaphosa arrived in KwaThema on Saturday morning, where he received a briefing from ANC Gauteng convener Panyaza Lesufi, provincial spokesperson Mzi Khumalo and other party leaders on preparations for the registration drive.
Speaking to the media while he was engaging with citizens, he said: “I’m finding that there’s a lot of enthusiasm amongst voters, and particularly the young voters.
“I’ve encountered a number of them, and they all are enthusiastic to register to vote, and for me that is really uplifting, that the work that is being done by government is resulting in young people wanting to participate to be active citizens and to register to vote, so that their voices can be heard.”
As cold as it was in Johannesburg on Saturday, he said, there was “quite a lot of buzz and activity”.
It was also good to meet older citizens who were “braving the cold”, he said, to check their voter registration status.
“This is what citizenship and citizenry is all about, so there’s a very joyous and pleasant mood from young people to older people,” he said.
The ANC said the campaign is aimed at encouraging eligible citizens, particularly young people and first-time voters, to register and verify their voter details ahead of the local government elections on 4 November.
Ramaphosa is expected to visit four voting districts in KwaThema and Katlehong during the day as part of the party’s mobilisation campaign.
Voting stations across the country opened at 08:00 on Saturday and will remain open until 17:00. The stations will reopen on Sunday, allowing voters to register, update their details or check their registration status.
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