By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) responded directly to the findings of the 2026 Human Sciences Research Council’s Voter Participation Survey (VPS), which provides the Commission with an important barometer of public sentiment ahead of elections.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has recorded a decline in democratic satisfaction in the country, raising concerns about the future of electoral participation in the province.
According to the 2026 VPS, satisfaction with democracy in the province has collapsed from 54% in 2004 to just 6% in 2025.
The survey points to economic despair and institutional disillusionment as the primary drivers.
The survey report, titled What is happening in KwaZulu-Natal? Electoral Integrity, Civic Duty and Disillusionment, is based on a nationally representative sample of people aged 16 and older, interviewed in private households across the country.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) Chairperson Mosotho Moepya, speaking at a media briefing in the province on Friday, said the findings indicated that non-participation was primarily linked to views about politics rather than the administration of elections.
Moepya said the findings had prompted the commission to spend this week in the province to confront the “serious” and “worrying” developments in voter attitudes.
A key highlight of the visit was an engagement with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who pledged support for the Commission’s work and committed to encouraging voter registration and participation in the upcoming elections in a peaceful, respectful and responsible manner.
The Commission also met with provincial leadership, including the Premier, political parties such as the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the National Freedom Party (NFP), the African National Congress (ANC), and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)., as well as civil society, faith-based organisations and the security cluster.
The Commission said meetings with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) Party are being rearranged to more suitable dates.
“These engagements reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in strengthening electoral integrity, enhancing voter education, and building public confidence.” Moepya said.
Stakeholders raised concerns about electoral fairness, misinformation and barriers to participation, particularly in rural and marginalised communities. Delays in the demarcation process in municipalities including eThekwini, Inkosi Langalibalele, Alfred Duma and uMkhambathini, were also flagged as challenges.
IEC vice-chairperson Janet Love said the IEC had engaged stakeholders about the findings to work together to find solutions.
“It’s a problem of the survival of our democracy. It’s a problem of the survival of our country as a country that is not going to fall into all sorts of wrong hands,” she said.
“This is something we have to work on together, whether we are from the IEC, whether we are from different community organisations, because we can’t let it happen under our watch.”
IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said the commission was implementing technical and operational improvements before the elections, particularly voter management devices (VMDs).
Local government elections are due to be held between November 2026 and January 2027, in line with constitutional requirements. The commission said the survey findings would inform its preparations and engagement with stakeholders in the province.
He said the commission had identified and addressed a “coding deficiency in the voters roll app”, which had affected performance in the 2024 elections. An external audit, including stress and volume testing, was also planned to assess the system’s functionality.
The commission was procuring extra equipment, including scanners to replace the use of inbuilt device cameras for ID verification, which were affected by lighting conditions. It was also acquiring an additional 16 000 VMDs to improve distribution at high-density voting stations.