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<\/p>\nRabia Mayet | rabiamaye@radioislam.co.za<\/p>\n
26 October 2026<\/p>\n
3-minute read<\/p>\n
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As South Africans prepare to cast their ballots in local government elections on November 4th<\/sup>, the big question is that of how citizens can hold elected representatives accountable and ensure that democracy is delivered beyond election day.<\/p>\n William Bird of Moxii Africa spoke to Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on the role of citizens, media and civil society in strengthening democratic participation and keeping those in power answerable to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cNow is the best time to find out what they\u2019re promising and keep a record of that,\u201d says William. It is the time to have politicians, who usually \u201cdisappear and evaporate just after the elections\u201d listen to what people, even those in distant rural communities, have to say. It is time to know who the politicians are, ask them the hard questions on what they stand for, and find out what practical step they plan to put in place once they do come into power.<\/p>\n To ensure that local government is living up to the promises they make, and to hold them accountable, William emphasizes that it is \u201creally critical\u201d that we make it known to politicians that \u201cthey can\u2019t just come and feed us nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n William advocates for residents of wards to use technology more effectively and in an organised manner. Residents must be \u201cactively engaged\u201d in hot issues that are happening in their communities and mobilise around those issues. Form a community WhatsApp groups to put out polls to track how often your community is without power or water, which potholes are being filled, which community centres are in disrepair, and even Islamophobic comments by councillors; thereby creating an \u201cevidence base\u201d to challenge the officials on.<\/p>\n While you may not win every battle, you will have clear proof of the issues at hand and the relevant councillors\u2019 responses, so that if nothing is being done, you will have the evidence to escalate the issues to higher authorities to get \u201csome level of action.\u201d Furthermore, it justifies community protests around unresolved service delivery problems and holds those on the campaign trail to account, particularly when they accuse the community of misrepresentation.<\/p>\n Williams mentions that it is every councillor\u2019s responsibility to uphold the constitution that encourages \u201cdignity and equality for all.\u201d<\/p>\n So, what power do voters have between elections? Structures and laws may not have worked in the interest of the people, with \u201cepic and catastrophic and ongoing failures,\u201d despite people complaining. William states that good governance should not be undermined – people in power should be voted in on skill, integrity and capacity, and not because they are \u201cthe friend of my friend\u201d or because they are from a particular political party.<\/p>\n