South Africa has achieved a significant milestone by recording the highest number of people registered to vote in over two decades. The Electoral Commission of South Africa has added 9.6-million people to the voter’s roll between 1999 and 2024. However, despite this increase, the number of people registered to vote in the 2024 elections is only 1.1-million more registrations compared with the 2019 election cycle.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa has reported that women constitute the majority of registered voters, with 15-million women registered to vote in 2024. Gauteng has the highest number of registered voters, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

The goal is to have 27.8-million people vote on 29 May when the country goes to the polls. However, it is worth noting that not all registered voters turn up to vote on election day. In 2019, only 66% of registered voters voted.