Hendricks tells South Africans to get up and vote in the 2026 local elections
The Deputy Minister of Social Development used the government's own account to push turnout for the local government polls, with the message that every vote counts.
Deputy Minister of Social Development Ganief Hendricks has urged South Africans to vote in the 2026 Local Government Elections, telling them to exercise their democratic right and make their voices heard.
The call went out on the government’s official X account on Tuesday, in a post that carried a video of the deputy minister alongside the message: “Your vote matters. Show up and be counted!” It was tagged with the election hashtags #LGE2026, #WozaLGE2026 and #GetUpShowUpVote.
The post does not give a date for the elections, and it sets out no new measure on registration, turnout or the running of the polls. Its content is the encouragement itself, from a deputy minister in a social development portfolio whose work touches the services local government delivers.
Local government is the sphere South Africans deal with most directly, from water and electricity reticulation to refuse collection, housing lists and clinic access. Turnout in municipal elections has been a live question for the governing party and for the opposition alike.
On the record supplied, the government’s position is that voting is the route to being counted. The post makes no claim about the state of the voters’ roll, no commitment on turnout targets and no reference to any party contest.
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