Facebook has announced that it will remind South Africans to register to vote in 2016 municipal election.
People over the age of 18 who log on to Facebook after noon on 9 April will see a message at the top of their news feed which reminds them to register to vote.
Clicking the link in the message will direct you to the Electoral Commission website, which will give information about how to register to vote.
You will also be able to share with your friends that you have registered.
The message will be rolled out over a 24-hour period from Saturday morning to encourage people to register ahead of the elections in August.
Facebook said that past studies have found that voters who see more of their Facebook friends talking about voting are more likely to vote themselves.
It added that rolling out the Voter Registration button is a small way that it is helping to encourage people to take part in the democratic process.
“Voter turnout is an important issue around the world and in South Africa, especially among younger people,” said Ebele Okobi, the head of public policy for Africa at Facebook.
“The Voter Registration button will make it easy for voters to share that they are taking part in the election and act as a reminder to others to take part.”
