23 Aug 2018

 Voter registration clerks are vital to the smooth running of the electoral process as without a proper voters roll, general elections would likely be marred in controversy.

This caution was made by the principal elections officer for Letlhakeng- Sub district, Mr Clifford Makhiya during the training of temporary voter registration clerks for the Takatokwane constituency at Takatokwane on August 22.

Mr Makhiya said even though voter registration clerks had been engaged on a temporary basis, they should consider themselves independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officers and conduct themselves in a way that would properly reflect the image of the commission .

He said such requirements included accountability, productivity, Botho, fairness and impartiality and they should avoid being made to go  against the Electoral Act.

Mr Makhiya also advised the registration supervisors to hold with responsibility all the government property that would be at their disposal, such as vehicles and avoid their misuse.

“As a commission, we will not hesitate to take action against those of you that are found to be in misconduct, such as abuse of government vehicles or doing improper registrations,” he said.

For his part, the principal elections officer for Kgatleng District, Mr Gakenosi Motshwarakgole also informed the temporary registration clerks that vigilance was one vital characteristic necessary in their daily duties.

He said that was because failure to be vigilant against otherwise small, but critical details such as getting identity numbers and polling district codes right would likely deny a registrant their right to vote.

“There is a possibility of getting a polling district code wrong and thereby sending a voter to a wrong district, or getting their identity number wrong and therefore rendering them ineligible to vote. So that is the reason you have to be very vigilant against such issues,” he said.

Mr Motshwarakgole also advised them to always contact the IEC office as soon as they faced challenges so that they could quickly be assisted.

The registration clerks were drilled on aspects such as the electoral legislation, roles of clerks and administrative procedures among others.

The registration process for next year’s general elections will commence on September 3. ENDS