Just in case you’ve somehow missed the last week’s embarrassing political shenanigans, here’s a quick reminder of why the sight of two political parties imploding in upon themselves is important: 2014 is election year and for those who are yet to register to vote in the elections, this weekend, February 8th and 9th, is your last chance to do so. 

Anyone aged 18 and above, with a valid green, bar-coded South African ID or Temporary Identity Certificate, can register to vote at their nearest voting station. To find a voting station in your area, you can:

• Visit the IEC website’s online voter station finder 0r
• Call the IEC call centre on 0800 11 8000 (+27 11 654 1000 from outside South Africa) between 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

If you’re not sure if you’re registered and who want to verify your voter registration status , you can:

• Visit the IECs website’s voter registration details page or
• SMS your ID Number to 32810 (R1.00 per SMS) or
• Call 0800 11 8000 (+27 11 654 1000 from outside South Africa) between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

If you have changed your residential address since the last time you voted, you need to:

• Check your voter registration details and make a note of your voting station and voting district number.
• Apply to register in your new voting district.

If you know you won’t get any chance at all to register this weekend because of work or other commitments, you can make an appointment to register at your local IEC office (look for yours on the IEC office finder if you don’t know where it is), you need to be registered before 5pm on the day that the President proclaims the election date. Proclamation is expected any time after the final registration weekend.

Any other information, such as the voter registration process, can also be found on the IEC website.

South Africans living abroad who are also not registered, have until 7th February to do so.

You’ll need to contact your nearest  South African embassy, high commission, or consulate-general to confirm their operating hours and that they are able to process registrations. If they are able to process registrations, then you can head over to them with your green, bar-coded South African ID book or valid Temporary Identity Certificate together with your valid South African passport or valid temporary passport to register. More information on this is on the IEC website.

(Image – IEC Facebook)