Ntshavheni urges South Africans to cast their vote

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has urged South Africans to turn out in their numbers to vote in the 2026 Local Government Elections, calling on citizens to elect leaders who will strengthen municipalities, drive development and improve the lives of communities. 

The Minister made the call after casting her ballot at the Nederduitsch Gereformeerde Kerk voting station in Faerie Glen, in Pretoria East, on Wednesday.

The voting centre got off to a busy start, with a long queue of voters stretching towards the entrance gate as residents arrived early to make their mark.

Inside the centre, voting officials and presiding officers were on hand to assist voters, particularly elderly people, guiding them through the process and explaining how to fold their ballot papers. Some elderly voters were also escorted through the centre.

Despite the busy start, the voting process moved swiftly, with voters expressing satisfaction with the smooth running of the process.

Speaking to SAnews.gov.za, Ntshavheni said the process to cast her vote was efficient, with queues moving quickly.

“I've just cast my vote. The queues are moving quite fast. When it started, it was a long queue, and yes, I didn't jump the queue; I queued, and it is moving very fast. They are efficient, and there were no glitches, at least in my ward where I voted,” she said.

Ntshavheni encouraged voters to cast their ballots early to avoid congestion later in the day and ensure that voting could conclude within the stipulated hours.

“I'm urging all South Africans to come and vote now when it's still early, and there is still light so that there's no evening rush. It would be preferable to have everybody having cast their vote by 9pm without extending the time,” Ntshavheni said.

The Minister said participating in the elections is important in ensuring that citizens elected a government that would continue to drive development and respond to the country's challenges.

“It's important that we come out to vote in our country because we have to put in place a government that will work for us; a government that will continue to bring development to our people. The challenges that we face in this country require all of us to put our efforts together,” she said.

Achievements

Reflecting on the country's democratic journey, Ntshavheni highlighted progress made in expanding access to basic services such as housing, saying citizens should continue to participate in strengthening democracy.

“We've got many achievements. We have electricity in our houses and water in our houses. Previously, the majority of our people did not have that access. We've got this access because of this democracy,” she said.

“So, let's go and restore democracy. We've got housing that the majority of us could not have afforded, but that housing was provided. We need to go back and reinforce the responsibility to vote,” she said. 

Looking to the future

Looking ahead, Ntshavheni said the focus should be on building a stronger economy through capable and resilient municipalities that can support economic growth, particularly amid global challenges.

“Now the focus is on building the economy. We have to build municipalities that are strong enough and resilient enough to help us build the economy to get our economy to work amidst the global challenges,” she said. 

She added that voting was also an opportunity for South Africans to stand together in defending the country's sovereignty and democracy.

“This vote also means defending the country against the diminishing of the sovereignty of this country. We need to stand together, South Africans. We need to vote and protect our democracy,” Ntshavheni said.

The Minister further emphasised the importance of local government elections, noting that municipalities are the sphere of government closest to communities and that ward councillors play an important role in representing residents' needs.

“This local government election is important for the country because local municipalities, that's where the government is closest to the people and the ward councillor is your government, and therefore it's important to choose a representative that will look after your needs,” she said.

Call for tolerance

Turning to the security arrangements around the elections, Ntshavheni called on political parties and their supporters to exercise tolerance and respect electoral laws to ensure a peaceful voting process.

She said that while there had been some incidents during the special voting period, these had been managed by the relevant authorities.

“We have appealed for political calm and political tolerance. We have seen since the special votes started on Monday and Tuesday that they went well. There were a few incidents, but it was nothing that Natjoints could not manage to deal with,” she said.

This as special votes were cast on Monday and Tuesday.

Ntshavheni said the security cluster has supported the IEC in maintaining a calm environment at voting stations, free from intimidation, to allow citizens to exercise their democratic rights. – SAnews.gov.za

 

Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.