South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday sent a special message to young voters in the country, urging them to actively participate in next year's elections.

"The youth is very critical in the development of this beloved country and their active participation in nation building processes will certainly help to take the country forward," said the president. "We therefore encourage eligible young people to take this opportunity and register so that they will exercise their democratic rights in the next year's elections."

Zuma made the remarks prior to the launch of a voter registration campaign on Nov. 9-10 with the aim of getting more eligible voters to cast their votes in next year's elections.

A survey, conducted in July by Pondering Panda, found that almost one in four young South Africans do not plan to vote in the 2014 election.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has set a target of getting 2 million new registrations by the time the voters' roll closes before next year's general elections.

The fifth general election since the end of the apartheid era in 1994 will be held on a date from April to July 2014 to elect a new National Assembly, which will select a new president.