ANC tells South Africans to "stand up, show up" and vote in 2026

The African National Congress has used its official X account to call on South Africans to vote in the 2026 elections, framing the ballot as the defence of a democracy won by earlier generations.

“Ke nako. Our democracy is ours to protect, and our voices are our greatest power. Don’t take it for granted. Stand up, show up and defend the democracy generations fought for. Vote ANC!” the party posted on Wednesday.

The post carries the hashtags #VoteANC2026 and #LetsBuildBetterCommunities, and a photograph. The party gave no further detail on the campaign, the date or the specific election it refers to beyond the 2026 framing in its hashtag.

The message is a straightforward get-out-the-vote appeal from the governing party, and it is pitched at the act of voting itself rather than at any policy promise. It names no opponent, no ward, no candidate and no government programme. Its argument is that the vote is the instrument by which the democracy is protected, and that not using it is the risk.

The ANC is the party that has governed South Africa since 1994, and the appeal to “the democracy generations fought for” draws on that history directly. The party’s record in office, and the electoral support it has retained or lost in the years since, are matters on which voters will pass judgement at the ballot box rather than in a social media post.

The post does not say when the election will be held, which party structures will run the campaign, or what the #LetsBuildBetterCommunities tag will cover. The Enquirer has no further detail from the party on the campaign at the time of publication.