"The reality is, the interaction between communities and people is the closest and the most real at local government level," Salga provincial chairperson Demetri Qually said.
"People’s lives are affected most by what happens to their sewerage, waste removal, electricity and water – you feel that immediately."
Qually said it was essential that eligible voters took part in the registration process this weekend.
"As it is sometimes said: if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain."
According to figures from the IEC, as of January, 31.7% of eligible voters had registered.
Of the nine million voters not yet registered, most were between the ages of 20 and 29.
There were more than 2.9m registered voters in the Western Cape, while 1.2m were not registered.
Salga’s provincial executive officer Khalil Mullagie said the Western Cape was ready for the elections. Unlike other provinces, it was not affected by the reopening of the municipal boundary redetermination process.
The IEC on Thursday said it was hoping that at least one million new voters would register before the voters’ roll closed.
Source: News24
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