Close to three million South Africans have answered the Electoral Commission’s call to either register or update their voting details ahead of next year’s local government elections — and perhaps
one of the biggest surprises is who is showing up. For years there has been a narrative that young people are disengaged, politically disconnected and simply not interested in participating in
democracy. But according to the IEC, that narrative may be shifting. During this weekend’s voter registration drive, nearly 2.9 million registration transactions were recorded — a significant
jump from the 1.7 million recorded during a similar registration period before the 2021 local government elections. More strikingly, young people between the ages of 16 and 29 accounted for 80% of all new voter registrations. The Commission says these figures suggest youth-focused campaigns are beginning to resonate and challenge long-held assumptions that young South Africans are apathetic about politics. But does registering necessarily translate into voting? And what does this growing interest tell us about the state of our democracy ahead of 2026?