With the 2026 local government elections approaching, South Africa faces a quiet but consequential challenge: the growing absence of young voters in the very process that shapes their everyday realities. This is not just a participation issue – it is a question about who gets to influence the direction of communities that young people will inherit and sustain.
Local government is where democracy becomes tangible. It determines whether streets are safe and maintained, water runs reliably, public facilities function, and development reaches neglected areas.
Yet, many young citizens, disillusioned by unmet promises and economic hardship, are choosing disengagement over participation.
The danger is not simply low turnout – it is the normalisation of political invisibility. Leaders respond most urgently to constituencies that demonstrate presence and consistency.
Silence carries little negotiating weight.
Youth frustration is understandable. Many feel spoken to during campaigns and forgotten afterwards, but disengagement does not punish underperformance; it removes a critical voice from the accountability process. Voting is a strategic tool to influence it. Participation signals expectation. It says: “We are watching, and we intend to shape outcomes.”
A democracy matures when its youngest participants insist on standards, transparency, and delivery.
Lesiba Sydney Mantshiu
Gauteng
