IEC urges youth to register to vote

THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in King Cetshwayo District has expressed concern about the youth’s poor response to calls to register to vote in this year’s general elctions, saying this did not bode well for the future of the country.

Addressing a media briefing held at their Empangeni offices in Monday, IEC District Manager, Stella Dlamini, urged the youth to make use of the final voter registration weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

The media briefing was aimed at informing the public about the state of the district readiness for the elections.

‘In this district we have registered 475 612 voters,but 23 058 of these are without addresses, hence the call to urge voters to come out and register and check whether their addresses appear on the voters roll.

‘It concerns us that only 30% of our youth have come forward to register. The youth appears to be demotivated. Many don’t see the benefits of voting. However, we have embarked on an outreach voter education programme in an effort to lure them.

‘Our planning is geared towards 8 May, although the President is yet to proclaim an election date.

‘We started preparing for this year’s election last year and targeted communities that have been realigned,’ Dlamini said.

She also outlined plans to register prisoners.

‘We have four correctional centres in our district, in uMlalazi, Nkandla, Mthonjaneni and uMhlathuze.

‘On top of that we will also visit the two tertiary institutions in our district, the University of Zululand and Umfolozi TVET College, on 9 and 10 February to register students.

‘We will have a total of 553 voting stations in all the 105 wards and have recruited teachers and a large number of unemployed youth as officials in preparation for the national elections,’ she said.

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