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MODERN VOTING IS NOT ENOUGH IF MUNICIPALITIES REMAIN OPAQUE

2026-07-09

South Africa is modernising the voting process through online registration, mobile tools and accessible election information. But after voters elect municipal councils, many still struggle to access clear, reliable information about service delivery, budgets, complaints and audit findings. This article argues that the 2026 local government elections must be about more than voting: Municipalities must open up, report back and account.

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THE YOUTH HAVE REGISTERED. NOW GIVE THEM A REASON TO VOTE

2026-07-03

Young South Africans responded strongly to the first voter-registration weekend, with people aged 16 to 29 accounting for 80% of all new registrations. But registration does not automatically translate into trust or turnout, particularly when young citizens face severe unemployment, declining services and limited confidence in local government. Political parties must now earn their votes through credible candidates, measurable ward-level commitments and transparent accountability.

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WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

2026-06-01

South Africa’s local government elections are approaching at a time of real unemployment, service delivery and governance failures, but xenophobic mobilisation is directing public anger at the wrong target. The article argues that anti-immigrant protests undermine constitutional accountability by replacing demands for competent local government with scapegoating, fear and unlawful vigilantism. The FW de Klerk Foundation warns that South Africa’s genuine grievances must be resolved through the rule of law, democratic accountability and constitutional governance – not hostility toward vulnerable minorities.

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ELECTORAL COUNTDOWN AS JOHANNESBURG HANGS BY A THREAD

2026-05-15

Johannesburg’s growing fiscal and governance crisis has become more than a municipal problem. It is now a constitutional and economic warning about what happens when political instability, infrastructure decay and financial mismanagement begin to hollow out local government. As South Africa approaches the 4 November 2026 local government elections, the future of Johannesburg may well become a referendum on whether democratic governance can still deliver stability, accountability and basic services.

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FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION: SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS DIGITAL ACCESS LAW THAT MAKES SENSE

2026-05-15

The FW de Klerk Foundation notes ICASA’s recent statement that, under the current Electronic Communications Act of 2005, full recognition of equity equivalent investment programmes in telecommunications would require legislative amendment. That position, coupled with Minister Solly Malatsi’s stated intention to pursue such amendments, reveals a deeper problem than a single regulatory dispute. It reveals a legal and policy disharmony that South Africa can no longer afford. As the country moves toward the 4 November 2026 local government elections, digital access is no longer peripheral. It bears directly on service delivery, public participation, education, local accountability and economic inclusion.

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CAN TECHNOLOGY SAVE DEMOCRACY? A LOOK INTO AI AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

2026-05-10

As South Africa approaches the 2026 local government elections, the growing role of artificial intelligence presents both democratic risks and democratic opportunities. While misinformation, synthetic media and declining public trust threaten electoral integrity, technology can also strengthen civic education, improve access to verified information and reconnect young people to democratic participation. The real challenge is therefore not whether technology can save democracy, but whether it can be responsibly used to strengthen constitutional resilience, public trust and active citizenship.

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