South Africans choose their councillors

By Khanyisa Tabata
18 May 2011

The country’s 20-thousand-868 voting stations should just have opened for South Africa’s fourth democratic local government elections. More than 23-million registered voters have the opportunity to elect their municipal councillors today.

Unlike in previous municipal elections, every voter in South Africa will be able to vote for one of four-thousand-277 ward councillors to represent them in their municipality.

A further 458 councillors will be appointed though a proportional representation vote in each municipality. This excludes district council councillors.

Voters living in one of South Africa's eight metropolitan councils will receive a yellow ballot paper to vote for a party, and a white ballot paper to vote for a ward councillor of their choice.

In South Africa's 226 non-metropolitan local councils, voters will also receive a third green ballot paper.

This is to vote for a party, which will through its candidate list appoint a percentage of councillors who will represent them in 44 district councils that will be responsible for providing bulk services to their municipalities.

Unlike in the previous national election in 2009, people can only vote at the station where they registered.