By Charmaine Ndlela
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will host its annual tertiary institutions campaign on Wednesday, aimed at encouraging students to be active, engaged, and responsible citizens in the country’s democracy.
The campaign will take place at Taletso TVET College in Zeerust, North West.
The initiative will be led by Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya, accompanied by the Deputy Director-General at the Department of Higher Education and Training, Sam Zungu, the college principal, MZ Nkomo, and other stakeholders.
Launched in March 2022 during Human Rights Month in partnership with Wits University, the IEC campaign has encouraged students across the country to become active and engaged participants in South Africa’s democratic processes.
Between 2022 and 2024, more than 94,000 university students were reached, with 6,292 registering to vote. At TVET colleges, over 104,000 students were engaged through direct contact, resulting in 13,659 registrations during campus activations.
In 2025 alone, a total of 197 tertiary institutions were visited, reaching more than 77,000 students and registering over 60,000.
According to the IEC, during the 2021 municipal elections, 71% of registered youth aged 18–19 voted, compared with only 35% of registered voters aged 20–29. However, less than 10% of eligible voters aged 18–29 were registered to vote in those elections.
IEC spokesperson Khanyi Nkosi said this year’s campaign will expose more than 3,000 students enrolled at the college to electoral processes.
“This year’s campaign, now in its fifth year, aims to improve voter participation among students at tertiary institutions and encourage broader participation in the country’s democratic processes,” Nkosi said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
