Hon Speaker, the ANC is impressed that a record 25,3 million South Africans are ready to vote in the 7 May 2014 national and provincial elections. This follows a highly successful final registration weekend that showed 1,2 million new voters registered on 8 and 9 February 2014.
The new registrations lifted the overall registration level from 76,9% prior to the weekend of registration, to 80,5% of all eligible voters. Combined with the 1,1 million new voters who registered for the first time in November 2013, some 2,3 million new voters have been added to the voters' roll for the first time since 8 November 2013. This is about 17% higher than the target of 2 million that the Independent Electoral Commission, the IEC, had set.
According to the IEC, the majority of all new registrations on the final weekend were voters under the age of 30 years. Along with the new registrations, a further 1,48 million registered voters also used the opportunity at the weekend to change to their new voting stations. In total, just short of 3 million people visited the 22 263 voting stations on the weekend of 8 and 9 February. That is 16% higher than the 2,5 million who visited voting stations in November.
In line with population trends, women comprised 51,5% of new registrations and men 48,5%. Heavy rains ... [Time expired.]