OPINION | Voting is not a favour, it’s a right that shapes the future

By Dr Namane Dickson Masemola Former President Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela: “Your vote is your voice.

Your vote is your power.” South Africa’s democracy is one of our greatest national achievements that was ushered in through a tedious and protracted struggle for liberation and freedom.

It was won through immense sacrifice, courage and determination by generations of men and women who believed in a free, just and democratic society.

In fact, it came about as a result of highly conscious South Africans who believed in a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society, human rights, social justice and throughout the years of struggle pursued these goals without failure.

Attainment of democracy brought universal suffrage after centuries and decades of denial by the colonial and apartheid governments, and hence we have a solemn responsibility never to take this democracy for granted.

We all have a duty to strengthen our democracy by exercising our constitutional right to vote.

Every five years, South Africans go to the polls and use the ballot as a peaceful yet powerful instrument for democratic change and deepening of the democratic project in our constitutional democracy.

The right to vote is not a favour bestowed by government but a fundamental human right and a civic responsibility enshrined in our Constitution.

It allows every eligible citizen to influence how their communities, municipalities and country are governed.

However, from the previous municipal, national and provincial elections since 2016, it has become clear that voter turnout has decreased, thus placing many potential voters out of the equation with little or no impact on the electoral processes of the country.

A matter of concern which needs the country to be attended to, given the constitutional expression that there is no government that can claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people and therefore the need for strong civic consciousness in this regard.

As President Nelson Mandela reminded us, “It is in your hands.” Those words remain as relevant today as they were during the democratic transition from 1994, and as such our response to the ever-changing circumstances requires suitable mobilisation and sharpening of elements of democratic transformation to eliminate the main antagonisms for unavoidable realisation of the primary objectives of the National Democratic Revolution.

Primarily, they are a high-pitched call and suasion to every South African to cast their ballot in the Local Government Elections (LGEs) scheduled for 4 November 2026.

President Mandela and countless others sacrificed enormously to secure the democratic breakthrough of 1994.