South Africans will head to the polls on 8th May 2019.The date was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his annual state of the nation address
The 2019 General Election will be the second time the event is held in May since democracy, and will fall almost exactly five years since the previous election, held in 2014. Citizens who are registered in the final registration weekend in late January will be eligible to cast their vote
At the same time President Cyril Ramaphosa used his State of the Nation Address to talk tough on corruption and the need to restore confidence in crucial entities, like the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), South African Revenue Service and Eskom.
Delivering his speech in Cape Town on Thursday night, the president touched on the burning issues of job creation, state security and the need to provide adequate accommodation for students.
Turning his focus to Eskom, Ramaphosa confirmed the cash-strapped utility will undergo major restructuring in the form of a three-way split into separate entities.
“We shall immediately embark on a process of establishing three separate entities: generation, transmission and distribution. This will be under Eskom Holdings.”
Ramaphosa also promised to boost tourist numbers, explore selling stakes in state firms deemed non-strategic and increase agricultural output through accelerated land reforms.
