The very first time I ever cast my vote was during the election of our
primary school music club President. That was some decades ago (Time
does fly). But it taught me a lot about selecting leaders.
Anyway, millions of South Africans take to the polling stations today
to cast their ballots in the local government elections. The first
results are expected to come through from the iconic Robben Island.
The South African local government is comprised of 3 kinds of
municipalities which are run by councils - eight metropolitan
municipalities which are our big cities, 44 district municipalities
which coordinate local municipalities in a region and 207 local
municipalities which are towns and rural areas. The municipal council,
which will be determined by the upcoming elections, governs the
metropolitan municipality and works to make sure that the services
such as sanitation, electricity, water and refuse are in working order
and accessible to everyone in the community in which they serve.
Municipal elections are held every five years to elect councillors who
will be responsible for governing a municipality for the next five
years. This means your vote is vital in these elections in order to
determine the future of your community.
Go cast your vote South Africa. It's your chance to vote for the ward
councillors to represent you in the local governments across the
country.