DA launches 2026 campaign with calls for voter registration in Gauteng

Gauteng voters have been urged to use the upcoming voter registration weekend scheduled for 20 and 21 June to make their votes count.

This comes as the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday officially kicked off its campaign for the 2026 local government elections in South Africa by unveiling its first election poster and mobilising support for a significant voter registration drive.

The event gathered various DA mayoral candidates from Gauteng, all united in their message to Gauteng residents: take control of the city’s future.

Addressing the gathered crowd and media, DA’s Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille, urged individuals to acknowledge the importance of their votes, stressing that a failure to register correctly or to vote would lead to wasted opportunities at the polls.

“We urge people to vote where they are registered. Yesterday, I was at a gated community, and more than 30% of the people there are not registered or were incorrectly registered. If you do not register and do not vote, you cannot complain. We have had to get out of our couches to put up these posters. It was not easy, but we did it,” she said.

Reflecting on the campaign, Solly Msimanga, the party’s federal chairperson, said for change to take effect, residents must do their part and register to vote for the change they want to see in their communities.

He decried voter apathy among Gauteng residents, stating: “A lot of people are not registered, and some of them have moved from where they were residing. As the DA, we have embarked on this campaign to ensure that we register as many people as possible. We also want to get people to check if they are registered. There is nothing as disappointing as people who want change but are not registered.”

Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, who is vying for the mayoral position in the embattled City of Ekurhuleni, has welcomed the challenge, saying her administration will resolve issues of corruption that have dominated local governance under the ANC-led coalition government.

“You would know that currently we have over 17 suspended officials who are sitting at home getting over R8 million annually into their salaries. How we’re going to do it differently is we’ll ensure that we professionalise the institution. What we mean by that is that we’re going to hire people based on their skills, and it should be based on merit and nothing else,” she stated.

Cilliers Brink, aspiring to reclaim his position in the City of Tshwane, also took the opportunity to voice his plans for the capital. Brink promised residents a ‘water tanker mafia-free’ city, candidly stating: “The nation’s capital has been captured. Like in the City of Ekurhuleni, the veil has been lifted, and the water tanker mafia is in charge. There has been an increase in expenditure to R777 million per year with no consequences.” 

[email protected]