To secondary school principals, educators and student bodies. SAMNET is offering a free civics workshop to get your over-16s registered as voters before they leave school.

SAMNET has engaged the public and civic organisations, the IEC among them, for more than eighteen years to raise awareness of the election process and increase political participation. Over the past year we have been part of a broader community initiative to increase youth political engagement in South Africa.

Out of that work we have developed a 45-minute to 90-minute workshop focused on educating and motivating young people to register — specifically Grade 11 and 12 learners and university students. We ran a session at Orient School in 2025, attended by the IEC, who registered students on site immediately.

Every Student a Registered Voter Before Leaving School

Every year thousands of students obtain their IDs ahead of matric exam registration. We would like it to become standard practice that schools — with whatever support is needed — get their students onto the voters’ roll at the same time.

Whether a student chooses to vote, and who they vote for, is an individual choice to be made later. At the very least they should be registered, long before the next election.

What the Workshop Covers

  • Introduction exercise: the historical context of why voting in South Africa matters
  • Discussion and Q&A on the election process, its value, and civic responsibility
  • Who can register, and how
  • Practical exercise: registering every participant on the IEC website, or with an IEC team on site
  • Survey: feedback on the workshop

SAMNET is apolitical. The workshop discusses civic and social participation and activism among young people. There is no compulsion to vote, and no support offered for or against any party.

Measuring Impact

We count the students who take part and the students and staff who register. This work sits inside a broader programme whose measurable objective is a 30% increase in voter registration within the community — a prerequisite for greater engagement in elections and political life.

Timeline

With local government elections in 2026, it is imperative to register the 2026 matric cohort. The voters’ roll closes on or about 4 August 2026. We understand that workshops for Grade 12s need to fall in the first half of the year, and we intend to run this programme annually.

How to Take Part

Send your school’s interest as soon as possible, with: school name, address, contact person, cell number, email, the principal or contact person’s name, and available dates and times. Where possible, please consider consolidating schools or educators into a single workshop.

info@samnet.co.za
WhatsApp 084 333 3979
www.samnet.co.za

IEC Links

Shared by the South African Muslim Network in the interest of increasing civic participation and political activism, and awareness of and participation in the electoral process.