1. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has launched a campaign to create awareness of the national election to be held in 2004. The Western Cape Education Department supports this campaign and would like learners and their parents to be encouraged to make use of the services made available by the respective departments in order to ensure that they are registered as voters for the coming election.
2. Principals are therefore requested to encourage and assist learners of 16 years and older to obtain a green bar-coded identity document (ID) free of charge if they do not already possess one. Where the numbers permit, principals can make arrangements with the Department of Home Affairs which will provide mobile units or personnel upon request to deal with these applications. Otherwise learners and parents must be encouraged to visit the mobile units or district offices of the latter department in order to obtain IDs.
3. Principals are also requested to make a survey of those learners who will be 18 years or older, and therefore eligible to vote, on the day of the election. Where a considerable number of learners at a school have not yet been registered as voters, the IEC is prepared to make an official or officials available for this purpose upon request. Should such an arrangement not be possible, the learners concerned must be encouraged to register at the local municipal offices, district offices or clinics. Any enquiries in this regard can be directed to the local offices of the Department of Home Affairs or the toll free number 0800 11 8000.
4. Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all personnel, members of the governing body and parents and learners of the school.


SIGNED: J.H. LYNERS
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2003:11:05