The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has scheduled a registration weekend for residents of Ward 9. It is set to take place on 15 and 16 March at the Stellenbosch town hall. This is according to Stuart Grobbelaar, head of communications for Stellenbosch Municipality, in correspondence with SMF News. PHOTO: Kobus Erasmus
The Electoral Commision of South Africa (IEC) has scheduled a registration weekend on 15 and 16 March at the Stellenbosch town hall. The registration weekend will provide residents with the opportunity to register to vote in the upcoming by-election in Ward 9 or to confirm their personal details.
This is according to Stuart Grobbelaar, head of communications for Stellenbosch Municipality, in correspondence with SMF News.
Residents have to be registered in the ward where they live to be able to vote there, he said.
Upcoming election
The by-election, scheduled for 14 May, follows on the resignation of ward councillor Zelda Dalling of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
This is according to Mthandazo Beda, the local electoral project officer for the IEC office in Stellenbosch.
“I was elected and had served as the ward councillor for Ward 9 since the beginning of 2019,” said Zelda Dalling, ex-ward councillor for Ward 9, in correspondence with SMF News. “I resigned to allow myself the time […] to spend on my creative endeavours.”
Ward 9 includes large parts of Stellenbosch University campus and central Stellenbosch, according to Stuart Grobbelaar, head of communications for Stellenbosch Municipality, in correspondence with SMF News. PHOTO: Kobus Erasmus
What are by-elections?
“By-elections are held between normal municipal elections to elect a ward councillor, if the councillor resigns or passes away,” said Grobbelaar.
“Ward 9 includes a large part of the university campus and residences, as well as Dorp, Plein, Church, Andringa, and Ryneveld Streets,” he said.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsIf you live in this area (Ward 9), be sure to register to vote in the upcoming by-election. The @IECSouthAfrica will have a registration weekend at the Stellenbosch Town Hall this weekend (15-16 March 2025). pic.twitter.com/geQFh7nCXp
— Stellenbosch Municipality (@StellMun) March 11, 2025
Clarification on ward 9 boundaries
At the time of writing, there is a possible discrepancy between the boundaries of Ward 9 on the Stellenbosch Municipality website and the boundaries on the IEC website, as noticed by SMF News.
“Ward boundaries often change slightly by the municipal demarcation board,” said Grobbelaar.
According to Grobbelaar, the image provided to SMF News is the latest boundaries from the IEC website, and indicates the correct boundaries of ward 9 in purple.
Vacancy in the ward
Dalling secured her position by a majority decision in the 2021 municipal elections, as she secured 1736 individual votes or 85.52% of the total votes, according to the IEC website.
“My time as councillor taught me about the complexities of local government,” said Dalling. “It also taught me tremendous respect for the dedicated officials who work for the municipality.”
Dalling encouraged young people to become involved in local government.
“Getting [onto] the ward committee where they live is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about local government,” she said.
Zelda Dalling, ex-ward councillor for Ward 9 in Stellenbosch, explains the importance and duties of ward councillors.