The Youth Will Determine the Future of South Africa at the 2026 Local Government Elections

I was born in 1996, two years after South Africa became a democracy. Like many young South Africans, I grew up hearing about Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the liberation struggle and the sacrifices made to build a country in which we could live with dignity, access opportunities and create better lives for ourselves and our families.

Today, I want to speak directly to my generation.

How many of us have qualifications but remain dependent on our parents because we cannot find employment? How many have submitted countless job applications without receiving a response? How many are trying to establish ourselves as independent adults, only to find that the economic realities of our country make financial independence increasingly difficult?

These are not isolated experiences. They are the reality of millions of young South Africans.

According to Statistics South Africa, youth unemployment among people aged 15–34 reached 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, with approximately 5 million young people unemployed.

Behind those numbers are young people with ambitions, qualifications, ideas, and skills who are struggling to find a place in an economy that is failing to absorb them.

I understand why many young people have become disillusioned with politics. The infighting, political maneuvering and endless contest for power can be exhausting. When you are trying to find a job, pay your bills and build a life, political arguments can feel completely disconnected from your immediate reality.

But we must understand something important: politics does not stop affecting our lives because we have stopped paying attention to it.

Governance determines the conditions in which we live, work and pursue opportunities. My generation cannot afford to abandon the decisions that will shape our future simply because we have become disappointed with politics.

We cannot allow our future to be determined solely by the political loyalties of previous generations. We cannot vote simply because our parents and grandparents have always supported a particular political organisation.

We must be willing to examine the evidence, interrogate the record of those seeking public office and make our own informed decisions.

The liberation struggle was about freedom, dignity, equality, and opportunity. Respecting the sacrifices of those who came before us does not mean surrendering our responsibility to hold today’s leaders accountable.

The struggle was never supposed to be about political loyalty for its own sake. It was about creating a better future for South Africans.

On 4 November 2026, I will vote for ActionSA. My decision is based on my assessment of its leadership, its policies, and the candidates I believe can provide the kind of leadership our communities need.

In Tshwane, I will support Dr Nasiphi Moya for mayor. Her administration’s Ithuba Youth Economic Development Program is particularly relevant to our generation. By the end of July 2026, the program had recorded more than 9,200 registrations, with young people accessing training, entrepreneurship support and opportunities to develop practical skills.

For me, initiatives such as these matter because young people do not need politicians who simply tell us that we are the future. We need leaders who create pathways for us to participate in the economy today.

In Johannesburg, I will vote for Herman Mashaba’s return as mayoral candidate, based on my assessment of his previous tenure and the kind of city I want to see.

I want to walk through the streets of Johannesburg without fear. I want to see a Johannesburg where law enforcement is visible and effective, where businesses can operate and grow, where young entrepreneurs have opportunities, and where hard work gives young people a genuine chance to build independent lives.

These are the considerations that inform my electoral choices. I encourage young South Africans to apply the same scrutiny to every political party and every candidate asking for their vote.

Look at your municipality. Look at your community. Ask what has been delivered. Ask what has not been delivered. Ask who has been accountable. Ask who has failed. Ask what plans exist to address the problems you experience every day.

Do not vote out of habit.

Do not vote because someone tells you that your family has always voted that way.

Do not stay away from the polls because you believe your vote will not make a difference.

And do not allow political parties to convince you that they are entitled to your vote forever.

Your vote is yours.

Use it deliberately.

My generation, I want us to create our own history.

I want us to look back and say that when our country faced difficult circumstances, we refused to remain spectators. We recognised the challenges facing our communities, demanded accountability and used the democratic rights available to us to influence the direction of our country.

We did not need to shed blood to make history.

We needed to use the freedom that previous generations fought to secure for us.

I want the next generation to know that we understood the value of our vote. That we understood that politicians are elected to serve the people. That public office comes with enormous responsibility. And that no political organisation is entitled to our support indefinitely.

We must demand effective public services, responsible management of public money, greater economic opportunities and accountable leadership. We must demand practical solutions to unemployment and poverty, and we must judge governments by their implementation, not simply by their promises.

On 4 November, let us go to the polls with our eyes open and our expectations clear.

Let us make choices based on the realities of our communities, the records of those seeking office and the future we want to build.

Let us not surrender our future to political tradition.

Let us not become spectators in our own democracy.

Let the next generation say that when South Africa faced a difficult moment, we did not turn away.

We participated. We demanded accountability. We took responsibility for our future.

ActionSA Logo: Features a stylized “A” in green, white, and black.