After confirming that it will hold its general elections in 2019, South Africa has announced that its sixth presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on May 8, 2019.
Making the announcement Thursday night during his second State of the Union address, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the elections will serve as an opportunity for the South African people to exercise their hard-won rights at the polls in order to determine the country’s direction.
The elections in May will be the first polls to hold following the controversial resignation of Ramaphosa’s predecessor, Jacob Zuma.
Zuma had been ousted by the ANC after being embroiled in a bitter battle that bordered on allegations of fraud and ineptitude. Ramaphosa took over from Zuma a year ago with the promise of reviving the country’s failing economy and addressing its deep corruption.
Ramaphosa, during his address on Thursday, explained that the country had finally begun to recover from “a period of uncertainty and loss of confidence and trust,” which he attributed to the tumultuous tenure of former President Jacob Zuma.
Contesting under the ANC, Ramaphosa used the opportunity to briefly campaign, saying that in 2019, his government will focus on five key tasks: speeding up inclusive growth, improving the education system, improving the lives of poor South Africans, stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening the state.
The president also announced that he had met with the country’s election umpire to ensure that preparations were on track for the polls.
The total number of registered voters on the voters’ roll currently stands at 26,727,921 following the last voter registration weekend in January.
According to the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), of the 703,794 new voter registrations, over 81% are under 30 years old. This shows that more young people in the country are making a conscious effort to be more active in the political decisions of the country.
Ramphosa called on all South Africa citizens, especially those aged 16 and older, and in possession of an official Identity Document (ID), to register ahead of the elections.
