Gwede Mantashe, the national chairperson of the DURBAN-African National Congress ( ANC), stated that he was not overly concerned about the lack of movement at some KwaZulu-Natal ( KZN ) registration points.
On Saturday, Mantashe traveled to a number of stations throughout the province.
In advance of the 2024 general elections, more than 23, 000 voting locations across the nation were open all weekend.
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- IEC: By Saturday at noon, more than 320 000 people had physically registered to vote.
After losing the 2021 elections, the ANC faces a significant challenge in persuading KZN voters.
One of the communities in the north of Durban that is having problems with service delivery is Inanda, an ANC stronghold.
Mantashe asserted that the lack of movement in some voting locations was unconcerned and predicted that things would change on election day.
Mantashe remarked that the distinction between voting and registration is that voting results in a line where you cast your ballot for the day and then vanishes, whereas voting involves registering and moving quickly, so you wo n’t encounter lengthy lines when doing so.
Mantashe also requested that the remaining hours be used by various northern communities, including Ntuzuma and KwaMashu, to confirm their credentials.
As voter registrations continue today across the nation, Gwede Mantashe, the national chairperson of the MYANC, is campaigning for the party alongside ANCKZN and ANCEthekwiniReg leaders. Elections24# Elections2024 @NMabaso picture JX8w0eRU9O on twitter.com
November 18, 2023, EWN Reporter ( @ewnreporter )
Meanwhile, there were no incidents on day one of the voter registration weekend in the so-called high-risk areas of eThekwini.
Several areas from south to north of Durban had previously been identified as problematic by the provincial Community Safety department, but on Saturday, everything went according to plan at the majority of the voting locations, and Electoral Commission officials encountered no issues.
READ: IEC collaborating with law enforcement to prevent hampered voter registration
High-risk areas were identified as Durban North, Inanda, and the nearby Ntuzuma and KwaMashu.
Due to KZN’s reputation for political intolerance, police are also visible at some voting locations for safety reasons. Out of the 4 973 stations, 173 were classified as having a high risk, 762 were considered to be medium-risk, and 4 074 were deemed to have low risk according to police threat assessments. _NMabaso image_ Lnep0rTF5m on twitter.com
November 18, 2023, EWN Reporter ( @ewnreporter )
However, on the first day of voter registration, as political party agents and members camped outside voting locations, there were no altercations.
IEC representatives in the locations Eyewitness News visited did n’t voice any worries about their machinery either.
On Sunday, more potential voters are expected to confirm their eligibility in order to cast ballots for the upcoming election.
