With the 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, community members shared why they intend to vote and what participating in the polls means to them.

South Africans will head to voting stations across the country to cast their votes on Wednesday, November 4, to elect their local representatives. To allow registered voters to participate, the government has declared the day a national public holiday.

For residents, however, voting means different things – from having a say in what happens in their communities to wanting to see change and holding local government accountable.

Precious Mabapa said voting allows her to have a say in what happens in her community.

“I’m voting because if I vote, I get to have a say. I get to have a say in what’s going on in my community and I get to have a say in how we can implement new changes,” she said.

Mabapa added that elections are important to her because they represent freedom of speech and give residents an opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their communities.

“The future is up to us youth. So, if we don’t vote, then there will be no change,” she said, encouraging others to vote so they can have their say about the communities they live in.

For Neville Burnett, voting is also linked to accountability and the state of local infrastructure. Burnett said he will vote and believes responsible citizens should participate in the elections.

“If people look around them and see the infrastructure deteriorate, they should stop and ask themselves why. The answer about voting should then be clear,” he said.

Burnett also shared that residents should consider their experiences of local government when deciding how to vote, arguing that the current council should be held accountable.

“Vote out the current council who cannot or do not care about the residents,” he said.

He also raised concerns about the role residents’ associations are playing in their communities, saying they are already doing work he believes should be carried out by local government.

For Lindiwe Gadebe, voting is about taking an active role in creating the change she wants to see.

“I’m voting because I want to be the change I want to see,” she said.

The 2026 elections will be the seventh local government elections held since South Africa’s democratic transition in 1994. The Electoral Commission has encouraged eligible voters, particularly young people, to participate in the electoral process.

As election day draws closer, residents’ responses highlight some of the different reasons people choose to participate – whether to have a say in their communities, express their views about local government or take an active role in shaping the future.