President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the date for the 2024 national and provincial elections in South Africa. The elections will take place on Wednesday, 29 May, and will be officially proclaimed in the Government Gazette. Voter registration will also close once the date is announced. Ramaphosa called on all South Africans to exercise their democratic right to vote and for those who will be campaigning to do so peacefully, within the full observance of the law. He also urged unregistered voters to use the online registration platform to register.
The Presidency spokesperson stated that Ramaphosa would announce the election date within 15 days of delivering his State of the Nation Address on 8 February. In line with section 49(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Ramaphosa determined 29 May 2024 as the date for the 2024 General National and Provincial elections. He also consulted with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on the election date and convened a meeting with all 9 Provincial Premiers and the IEC to discuss the state of readiness for the General elections.
More than 27 million people are registered to vote, and it is in the ANC's interest to have the election held sooner rather than later, as it favors the incumbent and gives newcomers less time to campaign. The IEC will now focus on preparing election logistics, including compiling ballot papers and securing enough election materials to ensure that load shedding doesn't undermine voting.
