With just over three months remaining before the 4 November local government elections, Democratic Alliance (DA) Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille has placed service delivery at the centre of her campaign.
Speaking during the Rietvlei Park Run in southern Johannesburg on Saturday, Zille said the party’s priority is to restore reliable basic services while ensuring honest and accountable governance.
Helen Zille Promises Better Service Delivery In Johannesburg
Helen Zille said improving basic services will be the DA’s main focus if it takes control of the City of Johannesburg. She said residents deserve a municipality that spends public money responsibly and delivers essential services efficiently.
“If we are going to be number one, is that we won’t steal. We will have honest government, and we will make sure that every cent of ratepayers’ money is used for the things ratepayers want, like basic services.
“Most important one is water. Many people get water very rarely and intermittently in Joburg, and that is a scandal. Electricity, same story; roads are completely destroyed, as you’ve seen yourself from driving around. Those basics, people should be able to take for granted in a city, and that is what we will try and focus on relentlessly: basic services. Get Joburg working,” Zille said.
Her remarks coincided with the country’s final voter registration weekend before South Africans head to the polls in November.
Final Voter Registration Weekend Records Strong Turnout
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) reported a strong start to the final voter registration weekend, with more than 99% of the country’s 23,699 voting stations opening on time at 08:00.
Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said more than 238,000 voter transactions had already been processed by midday. Most of those involved existing voters updating their registration details, while approximately 30,000 people completed new registrations, representing 13.4% of the total.
Mamabolo welcomed the public response.
“We are encouraged by the positive response from citizens who are ensuring that they are correctly registered. This demonstrates a growing commitment to participate in shaping local governance.”
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Of the total transactions, 198,232 were completed at voting stations, while 20,078 were processed through the IEC’s data-free online registration portal. Mamabolo said the digital platform continues to provide voters with an additional convenient way to register or update their details.
According to preliminary figures, KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of voter transactions with 55,759, followed by the Eastern Cape with 46,889 and Gauteng with 41,774. Limpopo, the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and the Northern Cape also recorded significant registration activity.
IEC Prepares To Print More Than 70 Million Ballot Papers
The IEC says the conclusion of the final voter registration weekend will pave the way for the next stage of election preparations. Once the election date is officially proclaimed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the commission will publish the election timetable.
Mamabolo said the timetable will outline key deadlines, including candidate nominations, inspection of the voters’ roll and the publication of voting station lists.
“The proclamation sets in motion a number of important processes. Firstly, the commission will have to publicise an election timetable. The timetable sets out cut-off times and dates for the performance of certain election functions, such as the publication of lists of voting stations, the publication of the inspection voters’ roll, and the cut-off date for candidate nomination.
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“Once those processes are complied with, then we go into the ballot production phase. We anticipate printing in the region of over 70 million ballot papers in a three-week window period. So, it’s a complex logistical exercise which must be approached with proper diligence,” Mamabolo said.
He also encouraged voters to continue using the IEC’s online registration portal but cautioned that users accessing the free data service could experience delays because of high demand. Those experiencing difficulties were advised to try again later or visit their nearest voting station before registration closes.
