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LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS- THE NUMBERS ARE DECLINING, THREATENNG OUR NASCENT DEMOCRACY BY GEORGE MAGOMA
Elections is a game of numbers. Any campaign, service delivery record, a footprint, and sloganeering without the requisite numbers to secure a seat in the elections is obsolete.
The numbers are declining, which is a diminished interest of the populace which fought for the right to vote in 1994. Their collective struggles bore fruit, with an overwhelming turnout, welcoming the dawn of democracy. There was hope on the horizon, a nation united in its collective resolve to reconstruct and develop the country, rebuild the ruins of apartheid skewed spatial development.
The purpose of transformation was to reverse an odious system of local government not aligned to the priorities of development, entrenched racism and the massive damage inflicted by apartheid rule which relegated the majority the margins of the economy, urban migration due to absence of opportunities occasioned by a system of separate development and a hostel system which separated communities, accounting for the internecine violence which gripped the country post the unbanning of political organisations, costing many lives.
These were the developments of the time in a climate of anti-transformation to resist democracy through violence, to maintain the status quo of minority rule, creation of a Berlin Wall of white and black separatism against the grain of a non-racial democratic South Africa united by a thread of common purpose and citizenship where South Africa belonged to all those who live in it, black and white.
To change the face of local government, the 1998 White Paper of Local Government was adopted as a framework on the nature of society the people aspire towards a path of change and a vision of development, integration into a once fragmented society, and a single system of local government pillared on inclusivity.
The White Paper offered hope, introduced a new model of development, defined local government as a service delivery coalface, and by its closer proximity to the people, became a strategic service delivery vehicle by executing its legislative mandate in a manner that is people-centred and people driven.
The electoral outcome, the zeitgeist and atmosphere of enthusiasm that bolstered the will of the people, gave expression to the injunction of the will of “The People Shall Govern”, lending credence to the legitimacy of the state in view of the participatory nature of democracy and the popular vote. As our democracy matured, a decline in local government capacity to deliver, the decay of corruption, a decrease in the quality of life, rampant crime and other social maladies that sunk communities into despondency, the hope of 1994 turned into a pipe dream. An article of 20 October 2026 by Naledi Mashishi titled “TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE” paints a bleak picture of voter apathy, its dangers on democracy, and the diminishing role of the people, their patriotic duty to defend democracy and advance freedom. In the article, a graphic from The Outlier “shows most South Africans have already cast for the ‘No Vote’ party, making it the largest in South Africa.” This is very sad for our constitutional democracy whose resilience rests upon the will of the people, the authority and legitimacy of the state.
The article seminally observes that “enthusiasm for participatory democracy has hit the floor as the substance of democracy has failed to make meaningful change in people’s lives.”
This is a very disturbing trend spanning from a gradual decline of 2000 to 2021 against the registered voters and a growing population. The numbers look bad compared to the 1994 turnout. The graphic shows the 2026 data of 44.4 million voters above the age of 18, 28.4 million registered voters compared to the 2021 population of 40.6 million people above the age of 18, 26.2 million registered voters against a paltry 12.1 million who voted in the last local government elections.
The 2000 to 2021 patterns are a worrying sign of a descent which should have been arrested to avert the declining catastrophe inimical to the will of the people and the nature participatory democracy we yearn to build, strengthening the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as a vehicle for regular elections, instilling a sense of patriotism in the citizenry to defend the democratic state and the consolidation of the achievements of the 32 years of our nascent democracy.
This downward spiral threatens our participatory democracy. This is despite the IEC and political parties’ campaigns encouraging South Africans to vote in these elections. The 2026 voter registration of 28.5 million registered voters is no better juxtaposed with the previous elections in view of varying patterns and a growing population. But it is a major feat and a positive step towards ensuring the resilience of our democracy.
This downward spiral happens despite the proliferation of political parties and independent candidates contesting the forthcoming local government elections, each offering and unveiling brilliant manifestos to bring in meaning fully change. This does nothing to arrest the decline but hollow promises of ending corruption and building SMMEs in the local economic development value chain, addressing youth unemployment, job creation, better roads other priorities.
Every new party offers hope, but no alternatives to the existing policies, absence of fresh interventions to fix local government, job creation, unemployment, the endemic crime, the cancer of corruption that robs society of basic services, eroding public confidence in the ability of local government to advance community aspirations.
This creates false hope. When not attained, sinks the societal morale deep into an abyss of hopelessness. Local government is a terrain of struggle, and highly contested. There are too many players in this theatre of struggle, each vying for a slice in the elections but despite bright promises of better services and jobs and the quality of life.
The people cannot boycott the ballot, it is too risky, exposing the democratic state fragility owing to the absence of accountability and society activism. To navigate these complexities, political parties and the electoral agency must re-instil societal confidence in the ability of the state to bring meaningful change, deliver basic service by improving the quality of life for a better life for all, warts and all.
George Magoma is a Social Commentator
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