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FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES "WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?" - A NEW DIGITAL GUIDE TO THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
Issued by Ismail Joosub on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation on 16/06/2026
The FW de Klerk Foundation, in partnership with Project Youth South Africa, Co[LAB] Africa, the African Minds for Applied Research Institute, Royal Bookstore and the BRICS Student Commission (UNISA Division), has released Whose Responsibility Is It Anyway? The Local Government Election Guide 2026.
With South Africa’s local government elections set for 4 November 2026, the guide tackles a question too many citizens never stop to ask: whose job is it, really, to make local government work? Written in clear, accessible language in multiple languages and built for young South Africans, it explains why local elections matter, what the Constitution promises communities, what a ward councillor can – and cannot – do, and how to register and cast a vote that counts.
Packed with constitutional explainers, youth voices, hard data on voter turnout, and a step-by-step guide to registration, this is the first in a three-part series taking readers from registration to active participation and accountability after the polls close.
The guide is now live on the FW de Klerk Foundation website, free to read and download.
A GUIDE ON WHO DOES WHAT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A guide for citizens on who does what in local government
THE CCTSA WINS CULTURAL AWARD
The Centre for the Constitutional Transformation of South Africa (CCTSA) is delighted to announce that it was named winner of the Heritage, Memory and Identity category at this year’s Western Cape Cultural Affairs Awards, held in Cape Town on 9 September 2026. The CCTSA is dedicated to telling the story of South Africa’s constitutional journey. The awards, hosted annually by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, recognise individuals and organisations that make a meaningful contribution to the cultural, linguistic and heritage life of the province.
STATE CAPTURE IS HOLDING BACK SOUTH AFRICA
After Nelson Mandela was elected in 1994 his government abolished racially segregated local authorities, creating ostensibly integrated municipalities. Today these range in size from Johannesburg, the commercial capital, to units like Mpofana that comprise a small town and rural areas. All are supposed to fund themselves through property taxes, business rates and charges for water, electricity and waste collection. The poorest also get a grant from the central government to fill any gap between revenue and expenditure.