Eldorado Park young voters divided ahead of November elections

The youth in Eldorado Park have committed to making their vote count during the 2026 local government elections on November 4 this year.

Soweto Urban visited various voting stations and spoke to some of the youths during the final voter registration weekend between August 1 and 2.

While some young people remain committed to participating in the democratic process, others have lost faith in political parties, saying politicians often make promises they fail to fulfil.

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Others are eager to vote but are unable to do so because they do not have identification documents.
Zenobia Williams (27) said voting remains an important civic responsibility.

Having voted in a previous election, she will cast her ballot for the second time in this year’s local government elections.

Williams said she does not expect immediate change from elected leaders, adding that meaningful development takes time.

“I think it’s the small steps that a political party takes to develop a community. I’m excited to see more of the developments happening in our community,” she said.

However, she admitted that many of her peers are not interested in voting because they have become discouraged by the slow pace of change.

“A lot of my peers are not registered, and they are not interested in voting. They want to see immediate change, and when they do not, they become reluctant to register or vote,” she said.

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Diorain Donali expressed his frustration because his wish to vote has been overshadowed by his difficulty in replacing his Smart ID. He has been to the Home Affairs office in Orlando and Maponya, but was told that he should remove his previous card from the system before receiving another one.

Despite making several phone calls and visiting different offices, he has not been able to resolve the matter.

“I have to save money because taxi fares have gone up. I also need money for food, so travelling to Home Affairs is expensive,” he said.

Without an ID, Donali said he has also struggled to secure employment.

“It’s hard to get a job without an ID because employers need to see the document,” he said.

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Entrepreneur Devin Bloom (25), better known as Mr Refresher, said he will be voting for the first time this year after registering during the recent voter registration period.

Bloom said he chose not to vote in previous elections because he did not fully understand politics or the role of local government.

“Now that I understand it better, I want to make a difference. I have a brand, and I want to leave an impact on the younger generation,” he said.

He hopes the next local government will create more opportunities for young people, improve service delivery and provide greater support to small businesses.

“I just want to see our people thrive. Whether it’s jobs or supporting young entrepreneurs, I want to see our youngsters being supported because we’re voting for the future of the next generation,” he said.