The 2021 local government elections are a story of a democracy in crisis, says Naledi Modise, lecturer at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Government Studies.

The elections that took place on 1 November were characterised by low voter turnout and high levels of voter apathy. When the votes were tallied, there were 64 hung municipalities where no political party received an outright majority, requiring the formation of coalitions to govern.

These outcomes chart an interesting path for South Africa’s democracy, says Naledi. “Researchers and scholars of voter behaviour are left to ponder how to reconcile low voter turnout and the newly competitive political landscape.”

Naledi warns that low voter turnout is a threat to the legitimacy of the democratic project in South Africa.

“The common reason for low voter turnout is voter apathy. In these elections it may be understood as a form of protest against the poor levels of service delivery, compromised infrastructure, high levels of corruption and overall maladministration, particularly at local government level,” she suggests.

Low voter turnout reflects the lack of trust in the political process. Considering that voter turnout is an indicator of the quality of democracy and a popular measure of legitimacy, a high voter turnout is preferred to gauge the quality of democracy. Low voter turnout is considered a threat to democratic consolidation, says Naledi.

”Politicians and political organisations should be worried about the dwindling participation and, as a country, we should invest in civic education programmes to stimulate voter turnout in forthcoming elections,” concludes Naledi.