Hello Mzansi 👋🏾 Meet popEd - A Podcast by My Vote Counts. 🎙️ South Africa heads into the Local Government Elections at a moment when the settlement of 1994 is coming undone. So… how did we get here? We spoke to six people who have played a role in holding our democracy together to unpack what happened between 1994 and now - from Marikana and the weakening of our labour movement to the rise of authoritarianism, ethno-nationalism and violence, and the ways ordinary people have been shut out of decision-making. But popEd isn’t just about looking backwards. It’s also about the people building something different - young people, shack dwellers, community movements and organised citizens imagining new ways of exercising power. popEd is a podcast by My Vote Counts about how we got here - and what comes next. 🎙️ New episode every Wednesday at 12PM 👀 Episode teasers every Sunday at 6PM Subscribe, follow the series and turn on notifications on YouTube 🔔: youtube.com/@myvotecountsza8… #popEd #MyVoteCounts #PeoplesPower #Democracy #SouthAfrica

The state works for capital What happens when a community refuses to wait for permission? When people organise themselves, build together, grow food together and govern together?
 In Episode 6 of popEd, Thapelo Mohapi, General Secretary of Abahlali baseMjondolo, takes us inside eKhenana Commune to talk about grassroots organising, political education, land, democracy, and the cost of challenging power. From defending the social value of land to building communities rooted in dignity and collective decision-making, this is a conversation about what it means to create alternatives from the ground up. "The commercial value of land must come after its social value." 🎙️ popEd Episode 6: youtube.com/shorts/0OIwwYYlY… Coming this week

📍 HAPPENING NOW IN DURBAN! Communities building power beyond the ballot box! ✊🏾 We’re at The Blue Roof Life Space in Wentworth, Durban, for the launch of the Local Organising Playbook and Workbook for Local Government, brought to you by My Vote Counts and the South Durban Community Advice Centre. Today, we’re bringing together community organisers and civic formations to share lessons, strengthen local organising and explore how residents can turn shared concerns into collective demands - and hold elected representatives accountable. Because democracy doesn’t stop when we leave the voting booth. The real work continues in our communities, every day. 🔥 📖 Get your copy of the Playbook here: myvotecounts.org.za/wp-conte… #DemocracyInPractice #CommunityOrganising #LocalGovernment #MyVoteCounts #DemocracyBeyondTheBallot

"[WATCH] Do party promises match what communities really need? Thinam Mali, our Democracy From Below Campaigner, shared her insights. Watch the full interview here: youtube.com/watch?v=fZ4Dlvg2…"

[WATCH] Keamogetswe Seipato, our Democracy from Below Project Lead, spoke to Newzroom Afrika on the Constitutional Court judgment on excluding candidate lists from participating in the upcoming local government elections. Find the full interview here: youtube.com/watch?v=FQOpVoCS…

[READ] With local government elections on the horizon, our advocacy lead, Noxolo Mfocwa, broke down basic political leadership concepts. Read more here: citizen.co.za/fourways-revie…

The ANC undermined people’s power Episode 5 of popEd is out now. This week we’re in conversation with Mazibuko Jara about how we got here, and what it will take to rebuild the power of poor and working people. We talk about the road from the 2014 Vukani Vote No campaign, through Marikana and the 2024 elections, to the Government of National Unity. Mazibuko reflects on how the ANC went from convening society to managing capital, why people were locked out of decision-making, and what the National Dialogue was meant to be and why so few people trusted it. Mazibuko also takes us into the harder questions of movement-building: what happened to the United Front, why a broad front and a political party are so difficult to hold together, and why strong resolutions mean little without the capacity, resources and relationships to carry them out. 🎙️ popEd Episode 5: The ANC undermined people’s power Watch the full episode on YouTube here: youtu.be/2vGLDuIcU_E

✊🏾 Building People's Power ✊🏾 Join the State Capture Beyond Campaign (SCAB) and My Vote Counts for a 45-minute online conversation on what's at stake in the coming elections and how we keep community power alive beyond election day. 🗓 Wednesday, 21 October 🕑 2pm 💻 Online via Zoom us06web.zoom.us/j/8292474264… Keamogetswe from My Vote Counts will reflect on: ▪️ The issues shaping the elections ▪️ Opportunities and barriers to meaningful participation ▪️ How communities and civil society can shape demands and hold elected representatives accountable Need data to join? Send your request to Anita on 0833575904 by Tuesday, 20 October at 5pm.

What does it mean to deepen democracy? Over the past few years, My Vote Counts has worked in the shadow of genocide in Palestine and the spread of authoritarianism worldwide, a reminder that democracy is fragile and can be hollowed out even where its institutions remain standing. At home, thirty years of neoliberalism, austerity and elite pacts have left millions excluded and a crisis of demobilisation in place: unions co-opted, mass movements absorbed, and civil society professionalised into NGOs that too often speak in place of the people. The fragmentation of power after the 2024 elections offers a rare opening, but only if it becomes a lever for people's power rather than another elite reshuffling. "Democratic rights on paper mean little without organised, mobilised people able to defend them." That is the conviction behind everything we do, from our Constitutional Court victory against the influence of big money in politics, to convening the Civil Society Electoral Reform Panel, to building alongside movements rather than in place of them. Read Democracy in the Making to see how we are working to deepen democracy from below, and join us in making sure South Africa's democratic cracks become openings for people's power: myvotecounts.org.za/wp-conte…

The ANC undermined people’s power How did we get here? Not a single bad election, not one corrupt leader, not a failure of “public awareness.” It’s three decades of people being kept out of decision-making. In Episode 5 of popEd, we sit down with Mazibuko Jara to trace the road from the 2014 Vukani Vote No campaign, through Marikana and the rise and collapse of the United Front, to the 2024 elections and the Government of National Unity. 🎙️ popEd Episode 5: youtube.com/shorts/ixGZMuxMb… Coming this week.

We've launched a new tool! Our Municipal People’s Analysis of Manifestos, or M-PAM, helps citizens make informed choices. Our Democracy from Below Project Lead, Keamogetswe Seipato, was interviewed by Newzroom Afrika to explain more: youtube.com/watch?v=PKiALqQR…

With the 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, how closely do political parties’ promises match the everyday needs of the communities they want to govern? Listen to Thinam Mali from our Democracy from Below campaign talk about it on SAFM: omny.fm/shows/the-national-p…

As South Africa heads to the 4 November local government elections, MVC has launched the Municipal People’s Analysis of Manifestos (M-PAM), a citizen-centred tool that helps voters assess political parties and councillors on service delivery, accountability and community needs. M-PAM’s message is simple: our votes are not just crosses on paper. They are tools for holding councillors and political parties accountable. Democracy does not stop at voting. Read the full article here: pressreader.com/foryou?popup… Check out the M-PAM here: myvotecounts.org.za/wp-conte…

Democratic participation does not begin or end at elections. On Saturday 24 October, communities from across Durban are coming together for the launch of the Local Organising Playbook and Workbook - a set of practical tools built for people who are ready to organise and build power. Five civic formations from across South Africa will share how they built community manifestos with residents by bringing people together, finding common demands and sharing learnings along the way. Their experiences will spark a bigger conversation about community power, public accountability, and the Right to Recall for representatives who fail the people they serve. Spaces are limited, so please email [email protected], if you are interested in joining.

Episode 4 of popEd is out now: The People Will Lead the Revolution. We’re joined by Noncedo Madubedube for a conversation about organising, political education and the work of building movements that can carry ideas across generations. Drawing from her experience with Equal Education and the student movements that followed, Noncedo reflects on youth organising, internal democracy, #FeesMustFall, solidarity and the political lessons that movements leave behind. We also talk about the state of organising in South Africa's social-justice sector - the desire for greater collaboration, the challenges of working across different struggles, and the importance of creating spaces where organisers can actually spend time together. This is a conversation about the work behind the movement. 🎙️ popEd Episode 4: The People Will Lead the Revolution Watch the full episode on YouTube: youtu.be/CDvlmZevGoQ

Are SA’s coalitions as unstable as we’re told? The latest edition of the MISTRA Coalitions Barometer 2026 looked at 80 municipalities, with data up to February 2026: - Of 70 coalition and minority governments formed after 2021, about a third (23) lasted and 22 collapsed. - In 46 of the 80 municipalities, the leading party never lost power. - In the metros, where so many people live, 47% of administrations collapsed, with a median lifespan of just 11 months. Johannesburg went through six administrations in four years. With more hung councils expected after 4 November, former IEC Commissioner Terry Tselane points to the “vat-en-sit” problem, when a party is unhappy, it simply walks out. His fix is regulating coalitions so a coherent programme of action is agreed before positions are divided up. He also warns that the proposed coalition threshold may be unconstitutional and would punish small parties for problems caused by big ones. Read the News24 article here: news24.com/opinions/analysis… Read the MISTRA publication here: mistra.org.za/mistra-publica… Explore MISTRA’s interactive map here: mistra-dash-v3.netlify.app/#…