Johannesburg - Everything is ready for the local government elections, Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen said on Friday.
“We urge all South Africans to make their voices heard by going out in numbers to choose local government leaders on 3 August,” he said in a statement.
He was confident the polls would be free and fair and he urged political parties not to incite violence during their campaigning.
The major hurdle to this year’s elections was the question whether the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) had to have people’s addresses on its voters’ roll.
That was cleared when Constitutional Court ruled on June 14 that the elections could go ahead despite the lack of addresses. It said the IEC’s failure to compile a voters’ roll with addresses was inconsistent with the Constitution and invalid.
The declaration of invalidity was however suspended until June 30 2018.
Only in Tlokwe, North West, did the IEC have to ensure voters’ addresses were on the roll.
- Find everything you need to know about the 2016 Local Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections, or download the app for iOS and Android.