By Charmaine Ndlela
Electoral Commission chairperson Mosotho Moepya has called on learner leaders to become active participants in South Africa’s democracy, urging young people to register, vote and use their voices to shape the future of their communities.
Addressing delegates at the 2026 National Learner Leadership Summit in Benoni, Moepya said voting remained one of the most powerful tools available to young South Africans as the country prepares for the Local Government Elections on 4 November.
Speaking under the summit theme, Born of Resistance, Driven by Purpose: Leading the Future of Learning, Moepya reflected on the legacy of the 1976 Soweto Uprising and challenged today’s youth to honour that history through active citizenship.
“Fifty years ago, young people confronted an oppressive regime using the only tools they had left – their voices, their bodies and their resistance. Today, the battlefield has shifted, but the responsibility remains just as weighty,” he said.
He said voting was a constitutional right and civic responsibility.
“Our constitutional democracy is built on a simple, profound premise: the government must be based on the will of the people. If you choose not to vote, the government is not based on your will; it is based exclusively on the will of those who choose to show up,” he said.
Moepya encouraged learners to begin engaging with civic issues long before they become eligible to vote, urging them to debate, discuss and influence the future they want for themselves and their communities.
He also highlighted concerns about declining political efficacy among young people, citing findings from the IEC’s 2026 Voter Participation Survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council.
According to the survey, many young South Africans feel that their votes do not bring immediate structural changes. They point to high youth unemployment, service delivery backlogs and economic exclusion, asking: “Why should we bother?”
Moepya said that political disengagement weakens democracy and reduces accountability.
“The remedy to an underperforming democracy is never less democracy; it is more active citizenship. Voting is your structural mechanism for true accountability” he said.
While welcoming the high number of youth registrations recorded during the IEC’s June voter registration weekend, Moepya stressed that millions of eligible young people remained unregistered.
“The encouraging news is that the vast majority of new registrations came directly from the youth. However, our overall youth participation could benefit immensely from increased registration volumes,” he said.
He reminded delegates that young people aged 16 and older can register on the national voters’ roll, although they may only vote once they turn 18. Voter registration is open to South African citizens with a valid identity document, smart ID card or temporary identity certificate.
He urged young people not to wait for an official registration weekend, saying they could use the IEC’s online voter registration platform to register or update their details.
Addressing members of the Representative Councils of Learners, Moepya said the leadership experience they gain at school mirrors the principles required for democratic governance.
“You understand how to represent your peers, negotiate with school management, and advocate for better learning facilities. The jump from school governance to local, municipal governance is smaller than you think,” Moepya said.
“The practice of accountability, transparency and representation you are sharpening here are the exact competences required to transform our municipal councils.”
Moepya further challenged learner leaders to become ambassadors for information integrity, warning that misinformation and online hate can discourage civic participation and undermine democracy.
He challenged the learner leaders to leave the summit with three priorities, saying: “register to vote immediately when eligible, be ambassadors for information integrity, and mobilise your classroom and communities.”
He encouraged young people to make their voices count at the ballot box.
“If you move as a collective, you move the nation. Let us honour the legacy of the past by seizing the democratic power of the present. Exercise your right to vote. Register, show up on November 4, and let the true voice of South African youth be heard,” Moepya said.
The summit is scheduled to conclude on Friday after sessions focused on learner leadership, democratic participation, and social development.
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