The Economic Freedom Fighters(EFF) leader Julius Malema gave a closing address of the party’s 2nd Plenum of the 3rd National People’s Assembly at the Birchwood Hotel and conference centre. He has called on the government and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). EFF leader Julius Malema has urged the South African government and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to implement automatic voter registration for every citizen upon turning 18.
Speaking to party supporters at the EFF’s plenum in Boksburg on Sunday, Malema emphasised that this initiative would simplify the process for young South Africans to engage in elections and exercise their democratic rights. “We said in Parliament we want every child who becomes 18 to be automatically registered as a law in South Africa because it is your civil duty as a citizen to vote and to vote for a party of your choice,” Malema said. “So we cannot just be citizens; we must also play our role as citizens, which is to be a registered voter.
So it’s important that, inasmuch as we demand service from government, we too as citizens must play our role, and that role is to register and vote for a party of your choice”. Despite representing a large share of the population, young South Africans are underrepresented on the voters’ roll. The Independent Electoral Commission has, in the past, highlighted that many eligible young citizens are not yet registered to vote.
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Malema further said that the IEC must support this initiative and provide updated voters’ rolls. “They must print a voters’ roll and give it to each and every VD. They are the ones who created the VDs. So they must print the voters’ roll of each and every one so that we can go to those people who are already on the voters’ roll to confirm that indeed these people are here, they are citizens in this particular ward,” he added.
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