Dear fellow South African voters: You have 10 days in which to make up your mind about whom to vote for in the August3 local government elections.

Local government is at the coalface of service delivery; it's the arm of the government with which we, the electorate, interact directly - and so casting your vote for the people you want to govern the city you live in should be a task that you approach with solemnity.Over the next 10 days you can expect to be harassed and bombarded with political rhetoric by the political parties as they go into overdrive in the final push to win your vote in next week's municipal elections.Expect election promises of better service delivery.Expect parties to launch personal attacks on opposition candidates.Expect that, by the time we cast our votes, more people will have been killed (parties appear powerless to prevent the violence) as the jostling for positions and political power continues.Expect massive rallies next weekend as the major parties show the strength of their support before election day.Expect the phone calls, SMSes and radio adverts.But, dear voter, don't be swayed by the noise and empty rhetoric.Engage with the detail of each party's election manifesto before making your mark.Study the ANC's 10-point plan promising improved service delivery, interrogate the DA's running of the City of Cape Town, a model the party would follow in other areas should it succeed, and closely examine the radical policy changes the EFF has mooted in its campaign.Find out who the individuals contesting your ward are. Question their ability to speak on your behalf, to raise issues that matter to you and your city. Will they be serving the people or their stomachs?And then, dear voter, once you are satisfied that you have identified the best person and party for the big job at hand, cast your vote...