Inclusive Society Institute partakes in Civil Society Strategy Coordination Workshop Geared towards the 4 November 2026 Government Elections

The Kagiso Trust hosted a Strategic Workshop under the theme “From fragmented efforts to coordinated Civic Infrastructure for Democratic Participation”.  The strategic workshop event held at the Velmore Conference in Centurion was well attended by various organizations with delegates descending from across the 9 (nine) South African provinces, out of the 50 organizations invited 48 were in attendance. Attended by delegates that were multicultural, diverse age groups and different backgrounds. The event took place from the 26 May 2026 to the 29 of May 2026. Some of the organizations present were Veda Global (Vision for Empowering Democracies Through Action), IEC (Electoral Commission of South Africa), IJR (Institute for Justice and Reconciliation) SAUS (South African Union of Students), Seth Mazibuko Foundation, Activate Change Drivers, Council of Churches, EISA (Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa), (Amari) African Minds for Applied Research Institute just to mention but a few.

Ms. Nondumiso Sithole, advisory council member at the Inclusive Society Institute (ISI), represented the Institute. IEC’s representative, Mr. Ezrome Shabane, delivered an important presentation that provided a thorough overview and shared insights from a research study carried out by the Human Sciences Research Council.  The study had focused on evaluating and presenting the behavioural preferences of adult South Africans to better understand the electoral context and inform the IEC in its electoral management mandate. What stood out from some of the key findings is the fact that confidence in core political institutions has weakened further, with trust indicators at historic lows, including for the Electoral Commission itself and the fact that South Africa has approximately 18 (eighteen) million unregistered voters.

M. Boichoko Ditlhake, Head of Civil Society Support Programme at Kagiso Trust, gave a presentation wherein he implored Civil Society Organizations to collectively try to find solutions to assist in intensifying efforts at remedying a society that lives in hopelessness in the democratic era. Ms. Nonkululeko Mntambo as well as Mr. Derrick Marco both from Kagiso Trust also delivered presentations that reflected on key issues such as communication and safety, civil society, and the current terrain, reflecting on how civil society is currently navigating the democratic space, including its role, constraints, strengths, credibility, and relationship to communities.

Key take aways from the strategic workshop was the fact that the intentions of Civil Society Organizations also require a foundational overhaul. In that Civil Society Organizations must not be seen to be active during an election year only, however, there must be consistent coordinated efforts, pre-elections, during elections and post- elections. Organizations must ensure their work follows a complete life cycle to build stronger trust between Civil Society Organizations and citizens. Otherwise, they risk being viewed as untrustworthy, much like political parties in South Africa.  One of the value propositions was the development of a peoples Manifestos, a social contract for the people, the question remains whether a peoples’ manifesto could be a viable solution or not?