First-time voters queue in Kempton Park and Kimberley as local elections put jobs and services on the ballot

Voting stations opened at 7am on Wednesday and will stay open until 9pm, with voters already within the boundaries of a station to be assisted beyond closing time, as South Africans cast their ballots in the 2026 Local Government Elections.

For 25-year-old Nicole Mageza, a Kempton Park resident, this is the first ballot she has ever cast. She told SAnews (South African Government News Agency) hours before voting that the decision crystallised after she watched a clip online that reframed what a single vote means.

“I saw a video of this guy a few days ago who was talking to an audience and he asked that audience to give a round of applause, which they did. Then he went on to explain that voting is just like a round of applause in that no single person can make a round of applause on their own. The difference is made when individuals actually come together, you know?” she said.

“So even though my vote is just one vote, I feel like it’s powerful when it’s part of a collective group of people who want to make a difference.”

Mageza framed her trip to the booth as a continuation of the struggle that made her generation’s democracy possible. “I am able to vote today. I’m able to live where I live today because a group of people came together and fought so that people of my background, people of my race, could have this right, you understand?”

“So, history has proven that it works. This works, and I want to be on the side of history where I did actually make the difference rather than sitting back and complaining about the economy or the need for change. I want to be part of the change.”

She grew up going with her parents to polling stations in Limpopo, watching them vote in South Africa’s post-1994 democracy while she stood on the sidelines. “I’ve stood in those lines with them, and I’ve always wanted that mark, you know, that mark they leave on your thumb. Back then I didn’t fully understand the importance or the impact of voting, but now that I’m grown up, it feels really great.”

“I’m proud of myself that I’m actually going out there to make a difference. When I think about how people fought for me to actually be here, it feels like an absolute honour. And, you know, just thinking that maybe 50 years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do so, it makes this just so much more special.”

Other first-time voters put the emphasis on what they want out of the municipalities being elected. Nikiwe Ndawonde, from Kimberley, said: “I want democratic change within South Africa but especially here in Galeshewe because things are bad.”

Angelique Abrahams said: “I voted because I want something different. I am glad that I could put my voice out there by voting.”

Tumelo Chiloane said he voted in the hope that service delivery will be stepped up in his municipality. “I want the person I voted for to bring changes, especially related to service delivery. We also want to see job creation because we do not have jobs in the townships,” he said.

Mpho Malona, a Mohlakeng resident, said: “I am so happy to vote and I’m here for the youth!”

This account is drawn from SAnews (South African Government News Agency), the government’s own news agency, at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/young-south-africans-turn-hope-action-polls. It reports the voices of voters on the day rather than results, and no outcome for any municipality is stated in it.