South Africans living abroad have commenced voting for the 2024 general elections at nine of the country’s foreign missions overseas, as announced by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
According to the IEC, voting has begun at South Africa’s missions in Algiers (Algeria), Amman (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), Damascus (Syria), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Ramallah (Palestine), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Tehran (Iran).
A total of 76,580 individuals have registered to vote at South Africa’s 111 foreign missions worldwide.
“We are pleased that South Africans living abroad have responded to the call to vote, and we encourage those voters whose voting centers are open today to cast their votes before the closing time at 19:00 hours (local time in the respective territories),” stated IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo.
Voters at the 102 missions operating from Monday to Friday will vote on May 18 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
South Africans in other countries will cast their votes on Friday and Saturday, while those in London will have an additional voting day on Sunday due to a high number of registered voters (24,535).
“Although Sunday voting is available, we advise voters not to delay until the last minute,” Mamabolo emphasized. “On Saturday, Duncannon Street will be closed to traffic, and stanchions will be set up to manage large queues.”
South Africa is scheduled to hold its 2024 national and provincial elections on May 29.