Survey shows more South Africans open to non-democratic governance

New research shows that a growing number of South Africans are becoming open to non-democratic governance.

The finding emerged from one of the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC’s) pre-election research surveys conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) between October 2025 and February 2026, ahead of the November 4 local government polls.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told the Sunday Times that the findings painted a concerning picture, with both the IEC and government institutions recording low levels of public trust.

“This is concerning. The amount of money that we are spending and the type of programmes we are implementing are a response to these findings,” Mamabolo said.

He said the growing number of South Africans who believed non-democratic forms of government may be preferable was particularly troubling.

Socioeconomic conditions were among the main drivers of declining trust in government institutions, he said. “People who are not employed and don’t have economic opportunities tend to rate government very poorly, so you can see that there’s a clear correlation between economic circumstances of people and how they rate institutions of government.”

With a price tag of almost R2.6bn, the elections are a costly exercise, with about R150m spent on communication and voter education initiatives, including the voter registration weekends.

“It is a huge expense but is necessary to keep our democracy alive, make it meaningful and ensure that people remain engaged in the democratic project of the country,” Mamabolo said. “If we are able to surpass the 29-million mark on the voters’ roll, that would be a great milestone for the country.”

In 2024, the voters’ roll stood at 27.9-million.

Mamabolo said there are now close to 40-million South Africans aged 18 and older who are eligible to vote, but about 11-million others were not registered.

The overwhelming majority of unregistered voters are young, he added.

“The more obstinate sub-category is people who are 18 or 19, those who have just become eligible to vote. It places them in a special category that must be targeted. Our research shows that the youth are not apathetic. They are making a conscious choice to disengage because of their economic circumstances, particularly high unemployment in the younger demographics.

“They are aware. The level of political awareness in South Africa is high, but what they are saying is that their own economic circumstances influence their perspective about democracy and the democratic process.”

The IEC has intensified its voter education campaigns targeting young people through universities, schools, social media platforms and a podcast.

A television drama on SABC1, Beats for My Peeps, developed in partnership with the public broadcaster, is now among the country’s top 10 most-watched television shows, according to Mamabolo.

“Our ‘Show Up and Vote’ campaign is about addressing the hearts and minds of young people. We have introduced the podcast, featuring youthful presenters who engage in the language that young people use,” he said.

Mamabolo highlighted changes aimed at improving the transparency of South Africa’s electoral system. Under the new measures, political parties will be allowed to photograph official results slips at voting stations before ballot boxes leave the station.

This means all parties will have a record of the results at source, helping to resolve disputes that may arise later in the counting and results-capturing process.

“This level of transparency requires ethical political conduct. Don’t take the picture, photoshop it and then claim you dispute the results of the IEC,” Mamabolo said.

Asked whether political parties could use the results slips to announce election outcomes before the IEC had officially declared them, Mamabolo urged restraint.

“The IEC is making a call to parties to exercise ethical leadership. Even if you know that you are leading, wait for the IEC to announce the results,” he said.

Mamabolo said the IEC, political parties and media houses would receive audited election results simultaneously, a move aimed at reducing disputes and strengthening confidence in the electoral process.

Despite the increased transparency, Mamabolo does not foresee a dispute-free election in November. “Given the high stakes it’s almost impossible,” he said.

However, it was important that when disputes emerged, authorised dispute resolution avenues were activated without delay.

The IEC portal has been used by more than 600,000 voters, with Mamabolo predicting that in future there may not be a need for voter-registration weekends.