‘Registration period could be extended’

LOBAMBA — The period for registering for elections could be extended if many people turn up at the registration centres during the remaining few days.

The registration ends on Sunday.
This was said by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze in Senate yesterday.
Gamedze was responding to a question moved by Senator Tom Mndzebele during the Senate debate of the Voters Registration Bill,              2013.
“Does the minister think the period will be extended because the closing date is just around the corner and the figures indicate that there are still plenty people who want to register?” asked Mndzebele.

In response Gamedze said in previous years, the extension had been determined by the volumes of people who visited the registration centres towards the end of the designated period.

“It is the norm that during the last week or when two or three days are left before the closing date, people flood the registration centres and if the numbers are high, we then  consider extending the time frame,” said Gamedze.
He said they were informed by the numbers before making such a decision and they would observe the same before making any announcements.
Gamedze assured the senator that the teething problems with the registration equipment experienced during the first week of registration were now a thing of the past.

“We now have technicians who are deployed to the various centres and besides, a few technical glitches, all is well now as the officers are now used to handling the equipment,” he said.
Mndzebele had stated that he had gone to register at one of the centres in Mbabane East and there were a lot of technical problems.

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