The date for South Africa’s elections have not been announced but, according to the constitution, must fall sometime within the first half of 2009.       The preparations are already underway, however, with voter registration days scheduled for 8 and 9 November.       In many respects, this is possibly the most important election for the nation since 1994. After 14 years the ruling African National Congress is wracked by division, with a breakaway party, headed by the movement’s former chairperson, Mosiuoa Lekota, on the verge of being formed.       Successive elections have seen a drop in turnout, as voter apathy has set in. A lot of people, especially in rural areas, have become increasingly disillusioned with the ANC’s slow pace of service delivery, as well as the patronage and corruption that forms a mainstay of local and provincial politics. Believing there was no alternative, many chose to stay at home in 2004’s election.       Others, in South Africa’s growing urban black middleclass, feel alienated by the militant rhetoric of the party’s new left-leaning leaders that since the party’s conference in Polokwane in December last year seem intent on dragging the country away from the macroeconomic policies that saw an unprecedented period of economic growth.       Now, with the advent of Lekota’s new movement – as with other opposition parties (some of whom are doing much to appeal to as wide a base as possible) – South Africa’s political landscape could be radically transformed, with an emasculated ANC no longer the monolith that threatened the advent of a one-party state.       In building South Africa’s post-apartheid future, a lot remains to be done: poverty remains endemic with many people still without adequate housing, running water and sanitation. Social infrastructure – such as schools and hospitals – have in many cases deteriorated, with a loss of vital skills and chronic resource shortages.       The upcoming elections, therefore, provide an important opportunity for South Africa’s to voice their views on government.       Registration Day details:       When: 8am - 5pm on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 November       Where: at your nearest voting station       Check out the Independent Electoral Commission’s website for more details.