Parties make final push as South Africa’s local election turnout fears grow - IOL

Party leaders and government officials have urged South Africans to turn out in strong numbers for the local government elections.

Political parties are making a final push to get voters to the polls, but the challenge facing them is clear: participation in South Africa’s local government elections has fallen sharply, with turnout dropping from 57.94% in 2016 to 45.87% in 2021.

Party leaders used their final rallies across the country to urge supporters to vote on Wednesday, November 4, while government and local government organisations appealed to residents to choose councillors who would be accountable for municipal performance and service delivery.

The appeals come amid growing concerns about voter apathy and declining confidence in local government. The impact of waning public trust on South Africa’s local government elections has become a central issue in the run-up to the polls.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his weekly newsletter on Sunday, urged registered voters to participate and called for a peaceful election free of violence and intimidation.

“I call on all registered voters to go out to the polling stations on Wednesday because local government is essential to improving the quality of life of citizens,” he said.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that municipal failures had damaged public confidence, but said the election offered communities an opportunity to change this by choosing representatives who would serve them.

At the ANC’s Siyanqoba rally at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, on Sunday, Ramaphosa called on party members to mobilise voters ahead of the election.

An ANC statement issued over the weekend also urged registered voters to support the party, linking its appeal to promises to improve municipal services.

DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis told the party’s final rally at Moretele Park in Mamelodi on Saturday that people who wanted a change in government needed to turn out on election day.

“Let us fill up those voting stations. Let us turn out in record numbers. Let us make every vote count,” Hill-Lewis said.

He urged supporters to contact family members and neighbours, arrange transport to polling stations and encourage others to vote.

The DA’s campaign focused on infrastructure repairs, basic services and accountability in municipalities.

EFF leader Julius Malema used the party’s Tshela Thupa rally at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday to urge voters to consider its proposals for tackling corruption and failing municipal services.

“Our manifesto is not a list of empty promises,” Malema said.

He said EFF-led councils would strengthen their own capacity to repair roads and maintain water and sanitation systems, rather than repeatedly paying contractors for work that did not last.

In KwaMashu, former president Jacob Zuma addressed the MK Party’s final rally at Princess Magogo Stadium on Sunday.

According to reports, Zuma called on voters to support the party and said it was ready to lead municipalities. The MK Party is contesting its first local government elections.

At the IFP’s final rally in Ulundi on Sunday, party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa urged people to vote rather than stay away.

He said their participation would help determine who governed municipalities and how communities were served.

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) urged voters to consider the integrity, competence and commitment of candidates, warning that the quality of municipal leadership depended on the choices made at the ballot box.

In Verulam, community activist Roshan Lil-Ruthan appealed to residents to judge candidates by their records, including their responses to water interruptions, failing infrastructure and concerns about local services.

“This election is not about personalities. It is not about slogans. It is not about promises made a few weeks before polling day. It is about performance, accountability, integrity, and results.”

“Most importantly, vote,” Lil-Ruthan said.

Wednesday, November 4, has been declared a public holiday. Voting stations will be open from 7am to 9pm.

Voters must cast their ballots at the voting station where they are registered and bring an accepted South African identity document.

The IEC has urged voters to check their registration details and voting station before leaving home. Its guidance on voter registration and voting station details explains the requirements for participating in the local government elections.

The commission has reminded voters that driving licences and passports are not accepted as identity documents for voting.