MP voter registration: Calls intensify for young people to register to vote
The first person to register to vote at Thandulwazi Primary School in KaNyamazane on Saturday morning was 65-year-old Eveline Simelane. She expressed her disappointment at the lack of presence of young people in the voter registration queue.
MPUMALANGA - Voters arrived in dribs and drabs at Thandulwazi Primary School in KaNyamazane just outside Mbombela on Saturday morning.
This as the Electoral Commission (IEC) is holding a nationwide voter registration campaign throughout the weekend, with the aim of getting South Africans, especially the youth to participate in 2024's general elections.
Mpumalanga has 11,811 registration stations with just over 5,800 staff recruited and trained for the registration campaign.
The first person to register to vote on Saturday morning was 65-year-old Eveline Simelane.
She expressed her disappointment at the lack of presence of young people in the voter registration queue; adding that it is young who should be agents of change.
She told Eyewitness News she hopes to see more young people coming through to register to vote later on Saturday.
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Meanwhile, political party leaders spearheaded the voter registration drive across all three districts in Mpumalanga, which are facing challenges of ageing infrastructure, huge water debts, and vandalism.
The Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF's) Collen Sedibe and Democratic Alliance's (DA's) Jane Sithole were in eMalahleni in the Nkangala District Municipality.
Meanwhile, African National Congress (ANC's) national executive committee members, Cassel Mathale and Zweli Mkhize were in the Gert Sibande and Ehlanzeni Districts, respectively.
ANC secretary in Nkangala, Sello Matshoga said they were happy with the way the voting registration process was going on Saturday, except for a few challenges encountered in eMalahleni.
"But the challenge is everywhere, but we need to go back and encourage people to register especially young people born between 2005 and 2006."
The DA's Jane Sithole:
"IEC opened on time. We did not have any issue around the province and we have a task team where if there are any challenges that they have picked up, they would let us know."
