Home Affairs offices countrywide will open from 8am to 5pm during those days set aside for voter registration. Officials are also expected to work extended hours on the day before the start of the voter registration weekend.

Apleni said mobile offices will be deployed to areas where the department did not have an office close to registration stations. Officials at these mobile offices are expected to hand over IDs, collect and process first and re-issue applications as well as deal with other enquiries.

"We will also be visiting flood-ravaged areas to assist those who may have lost their enabling documents, including IDs," he added.

While the department was doing its bit to ensure that South Africans had all they required to cast their votes, citizens were also expected to play a role.

Apleni said the department was particularly worried about the thousands of unclaimed IDs at its offices.

"Of serious concern to the department, however, is that our offices across the country have at this stage a total of 767 889 unclaimed IDs. Unless these IDs are claimed, owners will not be able to exercise their democratic right to vote."

He appealed to those who had received a SMS informing them their IDs were available to make every effort to collect it from the nearest Home Affairs office.

Deputy CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Mosotho Moepya, said the IEC was grateful and satisfied with the steps taken by the department to assist voters. - BuaNews