President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the local government elections will take place on Wednesday, 27 October 2021.<\/p>\n
This will be the sixth time under South Africa’s democratic dispensation that voters will elect leadership and public representatives at metropolitan, district and local level.<\/p>\n
“The president urges eligible – and especially first-time voters – to ensure they are registered to participate in the elections which provide the basis for development and service delivery closest to where citizens live,” the government said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“The minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will follow the necessary legal process to proclaim the date and undertake other requirements.”<\/p>\n
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said that it plans to introduce new voting management devices for the 2021 municipal elections.<\/p>\n
In a presentation to parliament at the start of April, the commission said that the devices will replace the \u2018zip-zip\u2019 devices that had previously been used.<\/p>\n
The commission said that the new generation technology will allow for enhanced voter registration and monitoring of voter participation in real-time, including:<\/p>\n
The IEC said that would also launch a revamped public website and app for improved navigation and communications.<\/p>\n
Other technology enhancements that the commission intends to introduce include a public reporting app for disinformation on social media.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s 2019 national elections were\u00a0marred<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>by instances where voters were able to cast more than one vote at different voting stations.<\/p>\n
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