PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RECLAIMING DEMOCRACY: GAUTENG CIVIC AND VOTER EDUCATION PROGRAMME TAKES THE CONVERSATION TO COMMUNITIES
Johannesburg, Gauteng — The Provincial Civic and Voter Education Programme is preparing to take a province-wide civic and voter education campaign into communities across Gauteng from 30 September to 31 October 2026, under the campaign theme Reclaiming Democracy.
The programme will bring civic and voter education closer to residents across Gauteng’s five districts — the City of Johannesburg, West Rand, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng — through community workshops, community conversations, digital communication, online learning and a dedicated media drive.
The programme is designed to support residents with accessible, accurate and non-partisan information about democracy, voter readiness, rights and responsibilities, misinformation, public accountability and meaningful participation beyond election day.
According to Provincial Chairperson Dimakatso Babe, reclaiming democracy begins with recognising that citizens are not simply voters, but active participants in the democratic life of their communities.
“Reclaiming democracy means reclaiming our understanding of what it means to be a citizen. It means creating spaces where people can listen, ask questions, understand how power works and recognise that their voice and participation matter — not only during elections, but every day.”
She added that the programme is intended to bring civic education into the spaces where people live, work, listen and engage.
“Our communities already have knowledge, lived experience and important questions about the issues affecting their lives. This programme creates an opportunity to connect that lived experience with practical knowledge about democracy and meaningful participation.”
A PROVINCE-WIDE COMMUNITY EDUCATION JOURNEY
Reclaiming Democracy is built around a five-stage communications journey designed to move people from awareness to meaningful civic participation:
- LISTEN – What is happening in our communities?
Creating space for communities to share their experiences, concerns, hopes and priorities, while recognising the importance of listening to citizens and understanding their lived realities. - UNDERSTAND – Know your democracy
Making democracy practical and accessible by helping residents understand their rights and responsibilities, how government works and the different ways citizens can engage with public institutions. - QUESTION – Think critically and challenge misinformation
Encouraging residents to question what they hear and see, recognise misinformation and disinformation, seek reliable information and make informed decisions. - PARTICIPATE – Find your voice and your place
Helping residents move from simply observing public affairs to understanding the different ways they can participate in their communities and democratic processes. - ACT – Reclaim your role beyond election day
Connecting knowledge to action by encouraging residents to remain engaged, share credible information, hold institutions accountable and continue participating in community and public life beyond the election period.
These five stages will be reflected consistently across the programme's community engagement, media, public relations, digital communication and educational content, creating a connected journey rather than isolated campaign messages.
COMMUNITY MEDIA AS A PARTNER IN THE CONVERSATION
A key component of the campaign will be a provincial media drive running from 30 September to 31 October 2026.
Community radio, local publications, television and digital community media have an important role to play in making civic education accessible, particularly in communities where local-language and community-based media remain important sources of information and conversation.
The programme is therefore inviting media organisations to explore opportunities to support and participate in the campaign through a combination of paid media, editorial and value-added partnerships.
Opportunities may include:
- Public service announcements and campaign spots;
- Interviews with programme representatives;
- Talk-show and current-affairs participation;
- Live or recorded civic education discussions;
- Campaign mentions and voter education features;
- Community call-ins and question-and-answer sessions;
- Community-focused editorial features;
- Recorded civic education inserts; and
- Digital and social media amplification.
The programme is engaging media partners across the five Gauteng districts and welcomes different partnership models based on each platform's audience, programming and community reach.
“We are not looking at media simply as a place to place campaign messages. We want to create opportunities for genuine community conversations,” said Khumbulani Mdluli, Communication Lead – City of Johannesburg District and member of the Provincial Communication and Media Team.
“The strongest communication journey is one where someone hears something on radio, becomes curious, asks a question, joins a conversation, attends a workshop or accesses further information. That is the role we see media playing in Reclaiming Democracy.”
FROM INFORMATION TO PARTICIPATION
The campaign recognises that providing information alone does not necessarily lead to participation.
Reclaiming Democracy therefore seeks to connect information, conversation and action, giving residents practical ways to understand and engage with democratic processes.
The programme will address issues including:
- Democratic participation;
- Voter rights and responsibilities;
- Understanding government and public institutions;
- Access to reliable civic information;
- Misinformation and disinformation;
- Political tolerance and respectful public dialogue;
- Public accountability; and
- Participation beyond election day.
The campaign's communication will be designed to remain accessible, factual, inclusive and non-partisan, while encouraging residents to engage critically and confidently with the democratic process.
BEYOND ELECTION DAY
The provincial media drive will run from 30 September to 31 October 2026, followed by practical election information and countdown communication from 1 to 4 November 2026.
Post-election communication will then run from 5 to 10 November 2026, reinforcing the message that civic participation does not end when voting ends.
The broader objective is to leave communities with a stronger understanding that democracy is an ongoing relationship between citizens, communities and the institutions that serve them.
A NON-PARTISAN PROGRAMME
The Provincial Civic and Voter Education Programme is strictly non-partisan.
The programme will not endorse, promote, attack or visually privilege any political party or candidate. Communication will focus on civic knowledge, voter education, democratic participation and access to reliable information.
Campaign and educational content will be subject to appropriate review, approval and fact-checking processes to ensure that information shared with communities is accurate, consistent and accessible.
Community radio stations, local publications, television and digital media organisations interested in paid media, editorial opportunities or value-added partnerships are invited to engage with the Provincial Communication and Media Team.
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES AND PARTNERSHIP REQUESTS
Khumbulani Mdluli
Communication and Media Lead – City of Johannesburg District
Provincial Communication and Media Team
Mobile: +27 74 755 3592
Email:
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Reclaiming Democracy is the campaign theme supporting the Provincial Civic and Voter Education Programme.
- The programme is being rolled out across Gauteng's five districts: City of Johannesburg, West Rand, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng.
- The programme includes 40 community workshops, supported by community engagement, digital communication, online learning and a provincial media drive.
- The provincial media drive will run from 30 September to 31 October 2026.
- The campaign's communications journey is structured around five stages: Listen, Understand, Question, Participate and Act.
- Media organisations may participate through paid media placements, editorial opportunities, value-added airtime, interviews, talk shows, recorded messages, campaign mentions and community discussions.
- All campaign communication will remain factual, accessible and non-partisan.
- Election countdown communication will run from 1 to 4 November 2026, followed by post-election civic participation communication from 5 to 10 November 2026.
- Confirmed activity dates, venues, registration information and spokesperson availability will be communicated through the programme's official channels.
