The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mosotho Moepya, is at the Zonderwater Correctional Services in Cullinan, east of Pretoria today, to oversee the inmates’ voter registration process.
The visit by the Chairperson forms part of the Electoral Commission’s voter registration drive for inmates.
The commission set aside the dates 30 January to 1 February 2024 for inmates’ registration ahead of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
‘The Electoral Commission has worked closely with the Department of Correctional Services since 1999 to provide voter registration and voting opportunities for inmates in line with the Constitutional right extended to inmates to vote,’ the Electoral Commission said in a statement.
The commission reiterated its call for all eligible inmates to participate in the upcoming elections by updating their voter registration details or register as voters.
The commission had earlier urged families of inmates to deliver identity documents (ID) to correctional centres.
It said
it acknowledged that many offenders do not keep ID documents in their possession and it is for this reason family members are requested to make the necessary arrangements by delivering any of the following forms of identification: green-barcoded ID, smartcard ID or temporary identification certificate (TIC) to correctional facilities.
The Department of Correctional Services indicated that it would put all necessary measures in place to ensure that IDs are kept safe.
Source: South African Government News Agency