Wednesday 18th May is the day set aside for municipal elections in South Africa. Everyone over 18 who has registered to vote will have the opportunity to cast their vote for who they want to lead their municipality for the next 4 years. This is not a general election where we vote for who we want to lead the country, but a municipal election is specifically to choose who you want to run your municipality for the next 4 years.

Voting can feel like an inconvenience on what would otherwise be a bonus public holiday, but I want to encourage you with some important reasons why you should get up, leave the house, stand in the queues and cast your vote on the 18th of May.

1. Democracy only works if people participate - Democracy really only works if people are involved and one of the only ways to get involved politically in your countries democracy is to vote.

2. You can’t complain about the government if you don’t vote - You cannot complain about the way the government runs your area if you have not even taken the time to cast your vote for who you want to rule. This is your chance to have your say or hold your peace for the next 4 years.

3. The outcome of municipal elections have a direct influence on your life - The outcomes of a municipal election have direct bearing on you as a resident of that municipality. The billing system, services offered and rates and taxes they charge will directly affect you as a resident in that area, so it is even more important to vote in municipal elections and have a say as to who governs your area for the next 4 years.

4. Your vote really does count - You might feel like one vote won’t matter much, but in municipal elections, with each municipality further divided into wards, each vote does count and if a few extra people making the effort to show up and vote can make the difference between which ward councillor is elected. On May the 18th you are not one in a few million but one in a few thousand or even a few hundred, so each vote does count.

5. You should vote because you can - Because for most of our countries history the majority of the population was denied this right. Let us cherish what is today freely given to us and not take it for granted.

6. You should vote because you do care about what happens in your country and your community - After all, it is where you have chosen to live and raise your family, it is the country whose economy sustains us and will provide opportunities for our children in the future. What happens to it will impact us all and we need to care about what the future holds for South Africa and do what we can to make it a bright future.

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