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The National Youth Commission (NYC) will meet with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) at the NYC offices in Pretoria on Monday, 21 December 1998 at 11:00. The meeting comes in the wake of the reportedly low turnout of youth and first-time voters in the November 98 IEC voter registration campaign.

"In the face of the reportedly current crisis on voter registration the NYC strongly believes that there must be deliberate attempts, from all corners of our country, to promote young people's participation in democratic processes, such as this IEC campaign, as well as community and civic decision-making and development", said the NYC Chairperson, Mahlengi Bhengu.

The meeting, among other issues, will look at the following:
a) How to maximise participation of youth and first-time voters in the next phase of the voter registration campaign
b) The involvement of youth organisations in the voter registration campaign.
c) What available resources could be pulled together to get young people and first-time voters to register for the 1999 elections.

At the end of this meeting the two organisations aim to propose co-ordinated approach to maximise voter registration within the youth sector.

"Part of the proposals to be tabled by the NYC is how these processes could be taken beyond the voter registration campaign, i.e. to the 1999 general elections", concluded Bhengu.

For more information, please contact NYC's Monde Mkalipi on 082 575 3976.

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