South Africa Hits 28.5 Million Voters as Youth Lead 2026 Election Registration Drive

South Africa Hits 28.5 Million Voters as Youth Lead 2026 Election Registration Drive

South Africa’s Electoral Commission (IEC) recorded 2.9 million registration transactions over the weekend of 20–21 June 2025, pushing the national voters’ roll to 28.5 million ahead of the Local Government Elections set for 4 November 2026.

A Major Jump From 2021

The figure marks a sharp rise from the 1.7 million transactions recorded during the equivalent registration weekend before the 2021 local government elections. The voters’ roll itself grew from 27.7 million registered at the time of the 2024 national elections.

IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo told media in Pretoria on Monday that the turnout demonstrated the country’s “strong and enduring commitment to electoral participation.”

Young People Are Driving Registration

The standout story of the weekend was youth participation. Voters aged 16 to 29 accounted for 785 078 transactions — 27% of the total — and dominated new registrations, making up 80% of all first-time registrants.

Of those young registrants, 59% were female and 41% male. A total of 477 174 people registered for the first time, while 2.4 million existing voters updated or verified their details.

How People Registered

Most South Africans chose to register in person. Over 2.5 million transactions (88%) were processed through Voter Management Devices (VMDs) at physical registration stations. A further 362 296 transactions were completed online, with the IEC website recording 12 million visits across the two days.

The IEC also confirmed its online registration portal has been zero-rated, meaning citizens can register, verify or update their details at no data cost.

KwaZulu-Natal Leads by Province

Provincially, the registration numbers broke down as follows:

Disruptions and Misconduct Flagged

The weekend was not without incident. Community protests linked to service delivery grievances disrupted fewer than 20 of the 23 776 registration stations, according to Mamabolo, who described the impact as limited.

More seriously, a video circulating on social media showed an alleged registration officer in Mpumalanga registering voters without them being physically present — using multiple IDs. Mamabolo called the conduct “unacceptable and abhorrent.” The IEC also confirmed the arrest of an individual accused of damaging commission banners during the weekend.

What Comes Next

A second voter registration weekend is scheduled for 1 and 2 August, giving citizens another chance to get on the roll before the election.

Those who have not yet registered can do so online until the official election date is proclaimed. Registered voters can verify their details via the IEC mobile app, by SMSing their ID number to 32810, or by calling the IEC contact centre on 0800 11 8000.