By Lebone Rodah Mosima
The 4 November local government elections are facing an early test of public confidence, with most unregistered young voters showing little intention of joining the voters’ roll ahead of the first national registration weekend later this month.
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA), through its Youth Commission, said it was mobilising young people to participate in the local elections amid growing concern over a widening voter participation gap and a trust deficit that has seen fewer people going to the polls in successive elections.
SALGA has encouraged young South Africans to use Youth Month as an opportunity to take action by registering to vote and preparing to shape the future of their municipalities.
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The national voter registration weekend will take place on 20 and 21 June 2026.
“According to recent Public Opinion Research by the GCIS (government communications), South Africa approaches the 2026 local government elections amid ‘entrenched public pessimism and active democratic disengagement,’ as the public lose motivation for participating in voting,” SALGA said.
It said the study found that 62% of unregistered voters had no intention of registering, while only 38% of unregistered respondents said they were open to registration.
SALGA Youth Commission chairperson Lucky Sele said it was troubling that more than 60% of non-registered youth aged 18-34 did not plan to register, describing them as “millions of potential first-time or second-time voters absent from the rolls”.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has identified young people as a key audience in efforts to strengthen democratic participation.
It has said that more than 70% of young South Africans have not registered to vote, the result of growing distrust in democratic institutions and elections.
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However, the commission has said it aims to combat increasing political disengagement among young voters by integrating democratic education into the digital and cultural spaces in which they engage.
“The SALGA believes that local democracy will only be strengthened when young people choose to participate actively in shaping the councils, priorities, and decisions that affect their daily lives,” the association said.
Sele said that “young people cannot afford to be absent from decisions that affect jobs, service delivery, accountability, and the future of their communities”.
The SALGA Youth Commission said it would use June 2026 to launch a targeted youth mobilisation programme that includes public messaging, media engagement and youth dialogues on the role of young people in strengthening local democracy.
“Young people are urged to take advantage of the voter registration weekend on 20-21 June 2026, register where they live, verify their details, and prepare to use their democratic voice responsibly on 4 November 2026,” it said.
