IEC registration weekend is here. Here are 5 things that are still missing.

IEC registration weekend gives South Africans a chance to register or update their address, but millions of eligible voters remain missing.

OPINION

South Africans have another chance this weekend to get onto the voters’ roll before the 2026 local government elections. The Electoral Commission of South Africa’s national voter registration weekend runs on Saturday, 20 June and Sunday, 21 June, with all 23 706 voting stations open from 8 am to 5 pm. Eligible citizens can register for the first time, check their details, or update their address if they have moved.

In local government elections, you have to vote in the voting district where you are registered. This is because your vote helps decide who your ward councillor is, the person responsible for issues like water, roads, refuse collection, electricity infrastructure, and local service delivery.

The government’s own voter information page makes this clear: for municipal elections, voters can only vote in the voting district where they are registered. But do enough South Africans still believe voting can change anything?

The IEC says the voters’ roll currently stands at about 28 million registered voters, up from the 27.7 million registered for the 2024 general elections. That is progress, but it still leaves a large gap between eligible citizens and registered voters.

The Human Sciences Research Council’s voter participation survey found that nearly half of eligible South Africans were not registered ahead of the 2026 local government elections. The HSRC described a country facing deep disengagement from electoral politics and declining trust in political leadership.

This is not a new problem. Voter disengagement has been building for years, especially among young people.

The IEC’s own research, conducted between October 2025 and February 2026, described the 2026 local government elections as taking place in the most difficult pre-election climate in 30 years, marked by pessimism, frustration and disengagement.

2. Young people are still not being reached

The IEC has positioned the 2026 local government elections as youth-focused, using the campaign slogan “Get Up, Show Up, Vote.” The commission has also rolled out youth-focused outreach, including campus campaigns and voter education through programmes such as Beats for My Peeps.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said more than 70% of eligible South Africans aged 18 and 19 are still not registered to vote. The IEC says this age group has not had many opportunities to register because many have only recently become eligible, but the number is still alarming.

The commission’s tertiary institutions campaign has reached 269,000 students and resulted in 158,000 new registrations. This shows how much work remains beyond campuses, because not every young person is at university or college. Many are unemployed, out of school, looking for work, helping at home, or simply tired of being told democracy is working when their lives do not feel like proof.

My Vote Counts argues that young people are not politically empty or lazy. They mobilise around issues such as unemployment, academic exclusion and justice campaigns. The problem is that many do not see formal political channels, such as elections, ward meetings or government consultations, producing real outcomes.

3. The trust problem is massive

The IEC has warned that the 2026 local government elections will happen in a low-trust, high-risk political environment. According to figures presented by IEC deputy chief electoral officer Masego Sheburi, trust in government has fallen from 69% in 2004 to 19% in 2026. Trust in Parliament has fallen from 65% to 20%. Trust in local government has dropped from 55% to 18%, and trust in political parties has fallen to 11% from 42% in earlier survey periods.

Even trust in the IEC has fallen to 32% among the general adult population. But here is the interesting part: trust rises to 85% among people who have recently voted. In other words, people who participate are more likely to trust the system, whereas those outside it are more suspicious of it.

4. Online registration cannot be the whole answer

The IEC has invested heavily in online registration. Its online portal recorded 376 140 new registrations between January and May 2026, with strong uptake among young voters. The commission says online registration has helped keep the voters’ roll updated and accurate.

Parliament’s home affairs, cooperative governance and security committees raised concerns about the online registration process, including reported delays and challenges with OTPs. MPs also noted that some citizens who need online registration services may not have functional cellphones and, therefore, may be unable to receive the OTPs required to complete registration.

The IEC has said its online registration platform and app have been externally reviewed and that identified issues have been remediated. It also says the systems are ready for use.

South Africa’s digital divide is real. In some households, data runs out before the month does. Phones break. SIM cards get swapped. Network coverage is uneven. Older people may not be comfortable using online portals. Rural communities and informal settlements may rely more heavily on in-person services.

Online registration is helpful, but it cannot replace accessible, face-to-face support. Democracy cannot depend on whether someone has enough data to receive an OTP.

5. Local elections feel small, but they are not

Local government elections often get treated as the less glamorous cousin of national elections. No presidential drama. No big national ballot fight. Just councillors, wards and municipal councils.

This is where broken streetlights, sewage spills, potholes, water cuts, refuse removal, billing issues, and local infrastructure become political. The IEC explains that ward councillors represent defined geographical areas, while proportional representation councillors represent parties in municipal councils.

That means registration decides whether you can vote for the person who is supposed to represent your actual neighbourhood.

If your address is wrong, your ward may be wrong. If your ward is wrong, your vote may not speak to the place where you live.

This weekend is important. Registering or updating your address takes a few minutes and costs nothing except the trip to your voting station.

To register, you need a South African smart ID card, green barcoded ID book, or valid temporary identity certificate.

The IEC can open 23 706 voting stations. It can run campaigns, deploy staff and fix systems. On its own, it cannot repair years of broken promises, weak service delivery and political distrust.

That work belongs to political parties, councillors, municipalities, government departments, and anyone who asks citizens to believe that voting still matters.