South African Elections: Public Participation

South Africans have less than ten days before they can go to the polls to elect the municipal representatives of their choice in their voting districts. On August 3, votes will head to the 22 000 voting stations across the country to vote for local councillors and majors for their municipalities. As significant as this vote is, how do local communities hold their government officials accountable after the elections, and how important is public participation in the governance of municipalities? To assist us on this program we are joined by: • David Kode, Senior Policy and Research Officer, CIVICUS • Matshidiso Motsoeneng, who is a Researcher at Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute • Tarisai Mugunyani, attorney from Lawyers for Human Rights