IEC confirms voter registration weekend, warns against fake websites

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has warned citizens to remain vigilant against fake voter registration websites circulating online.

The warning comes as the voter registration weekend for the upcoming local government elections approaches.

It says some fraudulent platforms have attempted to collect personal information from unsuspecting users.

The IEC stressed that the only official voter registration platform is registertovote.elections.org.za, and has urged citizens not to share personal details through suspicious links.

The commission’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo, announced on Tuesday that a nationwide voter registration weekend will take place on 20–21 June 2026.

The announcement comes as the country moves closer to the next municipal elections, with the official election date expected to be proclaimed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa.

Once the date is announced, eligible voters will have until midnight on that day to register. Mamabolo emphasised that voters must register in the area where they ordinarily reside.

Officials say registering in the correct voting district is particularly important during local government elections because that where voters elect ward councillors who represent their immediate communities.

Unlike national elections, voters cannot cast ballots outside their registered voting district.

According to the commission, more than 260,000 new voter registrations have been recorded between November 2025 and March 2026. Of these, 128,113 registrations were completed using voter management devices.

In contrast, 132,092 were completed through the online voter registration portal.

“The steady increase in registration can be attributed to the online registration campaign, which encourages citizens to register, update and verify their details remotely,” he added.

Catch up on the IEC Media Briefing 🎥

Watch the full update here:https://t.co/ETQFBKX0eq

Key highlights from the briefing:

• 🎯First 2026 voter registration weekend: 20 – 21 June 2026 🎯

• Conduct of By-Elections

• Political Funding Transparency: Reports indicate that… pic.twitter.com/7NHYvF8YBd

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) March 10, 2026

Written by: Realeboga Nke