Section 40 of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 states that if a voter makes a mistake on their ballot paper before they have placed it in the ballot box, they may give it back to the presiding officer at the voting station, who will then issue them with a new ballot paper. That ballot paper will be marked as cancelled and be dealt with as provided for under the Electoral Act.

It is important to note that you need to vote at the voting station in the district where you are registered to vote. This is extra important in municipal elections. In respect of national and provincial elections, you still need to vote in your registered district. However, if you happen to be out of that district, you will only be able to vote for national government and not the provincial government. If you want to vote outside of your registered district for both, you will be asked to complete a VEC 4 form at the voting station.

Considering that South Africa is split into provinces and municipalities, the elections are split into two groups. In 2024, the election that will take place will be to elect the National and Provincial government. A separate election is held to elect the municipal governments. The next municipal elections are set to take place in 2026.

Section 19 of the Constitution deals with political rights and provides that every citizen has a right to regular elections that are free and fair. The Constitution also provides for the human right of every adult citizen to vote in elections (provided that they are registered to vote). Every South African citizen is also entitled by the Constitution to make political choices, which includes to form a political party, to participate in the activities of a political party and to campaign for a political party. However, it should be kept in mind that exercising these rights must be done in accordance with the measures and procedures put in place from time to time.

An interested person can bring an application to a court on behalf of a person whose human rights are being infringed. Section 38 of the Constitution allows any person to act on behalf of someone else who cannot do so themselves. Further, the interested person could even act on behalf of a group or community of persons who are affected.

Every person has the right to approach a court to resolve any dispute s/he may have with another person or entity (such as a company) through the application of law. This is known as the right to access to courts. This right also includes to have the dispute resolved in a fair public hearing in court or other tribunal or forum, such as an Ombudsman.

A person who feels that his/her human rights have been violated can do the following:
-  Contact the South African Human Rights Commission (“SAHRC”) to lodge a complaint. The SAHRC will resolve the complaint through negotiation, mediation or arbitration.
- Approach a court to enforce his/her right to claim compensation if the limitation caused damages. It is recommended to obtain the assistance of an attorney when approaching the court.
- Lodge a complaint with another institution, such as the Public Protector or a non-governmental organisation.

It may happen that two persons try to enforce their human rights against each other, for example, where one person says something to another who takes offence to what is said. In this example the person who made the statement might want to enforce his/her right to freedom of expression (including freedom of speech). The other person who was offended might want to enforce his/her right to dignity. In a situation like this, the courts will have to make a decision on which right will prevail. The courts will have to weigh the right to freedom of expression of the one person to say what s/he wants, against the other person’s right to not have their dignity impaired. Various factors will be taken into account in deciding which right to limit, such as what has been said and to whom it was said, the reason for the statement and whether the statement was made public or not, and so on.

Apart from the Constitution, there are also various legislation put into place that can protect human rights. For example, the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 will protect the right to privacy when it comes into operation, by restricting how a person’s private information may be accessed and used.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (commonly referred to as the Constitution) is the highest law in South Africa. This means that any legislation and decisions of courts must be in accordance with what is stated in the Constitution. The Bill of Rights is a chapter within the Constitution where the human rights are set out, such as the right to life, privacy and fair labour practices. Seeing as the Bill of Rights is a chapter within the Constitution, it is also the highest law in South Africa.

• It is not a legal requirement for a woman to change her last name to her husband's once they get married.
•  Although it is generally required to apply at the Department of Home Affairs to change a surname, no application is necessary in the following circumstances:
  • where a woman assumes the surname of her husband;
  • where a divorced woman or a widow, resumes any surname she had previously, such as her maiden name;
  • where a woman adds another surname to her current surname after marriage, such as a double-barrelled surname.
•  If a woman decides to assume a different surname in one of the abovementioned circumstances, she must still notify the Department of Home Affairs in writing of same to update the population register.