Special votes open as Mhlauli tells young voters: skip the ward meeting and someone else decides for you

Special voting opened on Monday for registered voters who cannot reach a voting station on physical infirmity or disability grounds, or who for other reasons cannot vote in person on Election Day, with the two special voting days running Monday and Tuesday ahead of Wednesday, 4 November 2026.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli used the moment to press young people and all eligible voters to turn out in large numbers for the 2026 Local Government Elections. Speaking to the Government Communication and Information System on Monday, she urged young people to exercise their democratic right to vote and to help shape the decisions that affect their communities.

Her argument went past the ballot. Mhlauli said young people must take an active role in democratic processes beyond election day, by attending ward and council meetings and using the platforms set up at municipal level.

“When we as young people do not attend meetings or participate in the various platforms created for the running of our municipalities and wards, those who do participate make decisions on our behalf,” she said.

She told young voters to treat the election as a chance to influence the future of their communities and to make sure their voices are represented in local governance.

“On the 4th of November, go out to vote. South Africa is currently 32 years into our democratic dispensation, and all of the strides we have made in the past 32 years are because of those who fought for this hard-earned democracy, but also, ultimately, those who have participated in the democratic system,” she said.

Mhlauli warned that opting out of democratic processes leaves decisions in the hands of those who do participate, which she said can push the needs and priorities of young people and other sections of society off the table. She called on voters to take responsibility for the future of their municipalities by voting and by staying engaged in local governance after the polls.

“Go out, participate and, most importantly, vote and show up on the 4th of November,” she said.

On the mechanics, the Electoral Commission’s position as carried in the statement is that voters in a local government election may vote only at the voting station where they are registered, and it urges voters to check those details before Election Day. Voters can check by sending their ID number via WhatsApp to 0600 88 0000, or by SMS to 32810 at R1 per SMS. They receive back the name of their registered voting station and their voters’ roll sequence number, and giving that number to election officials on the day helps them find the voter’s name on the roll more quickly.

This report is drawn from the SAnews (South African Government News Agency) account of Mhlauli’s remarks, published at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/mhlauli-urges-young-people-participate-local-government-elections. It is a summary of what the Deputy Minister said rather than a full transcript of the interview.