Advancing professional standards in modern political campaigns | Infrastructure that wins | Tools | Training | Talent | Measurement | Convenor of @IPE_Official_
Joined January 2026
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Press release Alert
Is your party preparing for the 2028 or 2029 elections?
Join the 4th cohort of our Executive Short Course on “How to Run and Manage a Winning Political Campaign”
26–30 July 2027 at the University of Cape Town.
Campaign directors, secretaries-general, national organisers, and heads of strategy or communications of political parties are invited to express interest.
Limited slots available
Visit ww.politicalhub.africa
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
The next 3 years, a lot of resources will need to be invested in getting the missing vote
Think of it as a stokvel. 100 people qualify to decide.
33 came to the meeting.
30 paid their subs but stayed home.
35 never joined.
The 33 decide for all 100: how resources are used, who is in charge, and what gets fixed first.
#MissingVoterTracker #LGE2026
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
There is nothing morally superior about not voting and it is irresponsible. It is even worse when one’s defence for that is that no one is perfect enough to receive my vote.
White farmers were devastated by a Foot & Mouth Disease outbreak at the behest of the DA - they did not abstain, they voted DA.
The right and a large majority of the DA’s white constituents are vociferously opposed to the DA going into a coalition with the ANC in the GNU - they did not abstain, they voted DA
When it was exposed in the Madlanga Commission that former DA Mayor in Ekurhuleni Tania Campbell introduced Cat Matlala into that municipality - DA voters did not abstain, they voted DA.
In Cape Town, when the relationship between 28 numbers gang leader Ralph Stanfield and DA MMC’s was exposed, revealing R1 billion in housing tender collusion - DA voters did not abstain, they voted DA.
Many black DA members have a bad taste in their mouth seeing Helen Zille as the Mayoral candidate of the DA, knowing her views on colonialism, and regressive views on redress - they did not abstain from voting, they voted DA.
They do this because they know that political parties just like society are spaces of contestation of ideas, direction and values. They know that sitting on the sidelines and being self-important has no positive net effect on their lives. They must participate, influence, lobby and yes, VOTE!
The suggestion that political parties which are left in persuasion or represent black interests in particular ought to be perfect for them to be voted for, is as silly as suggesting that not voting is some morally superior form of expressing one’s dissatisfaction.
It is the height of what defines the self-righteousness of an individual that inadvertently hands political power to the right because “no one is good enough for my vote”
The right does not operate like this, they vote because they appreciate that state power held by those who represent them has the potential to serve their interests.
I am extremely proud that not only the EFF is shaming people for not voting, but South Africans are doing so in general.
In social spaces, in your family, at your work place, continue to shame people who undermine voting, especially those who do so because it no longer serves their interests.
The political space has been fractured for many years, including between 2013 and 2024 when some non-voters of today, urged you to vote while they were in Parliament.
Do with that information what you wish.
Here is a nice article we wrote on the irresponsibility of voter apathy and its consequences!
ewn.co.za/2026/09/29/sinawo-…
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
Dr Ndlozi's argument is quite simple. You can not force people to vote when they see noone they would vote for.
Noone is owed votes by the electorate. Earn the people's CONFIDENCE
In the end, the writing is on the wall—properly displayed in percentages.
It begs the obvious question: what is it about YOU that produced this performance? Why is it that you have lost almost half of your vote share? Yes, YOU!
As I have said before, go argue with the wall.
As for me, I did abstain. A deliberate, conscientious abstention.
The right to abstain is not limited to parliament or council sessions. It is very much constitutional, and available to all citizens—especially those who DO register to vote!
That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure!
Voting MUST NEVER be a conscription; it is a right that comes with responsibility—one that can’t be deployed without conscience.
Above all, NO ONE is entitled to people's votes. VOTES are earned, just like respect. To say otherwise is the gospel according to dictators.
How else can we explain that Mandela campaigned in 1994 and lost both KZN and Western Cape, yet Mbeki won both 10 years later? They earned the votes through results on the ground by improving the living standards of our people. They were NOT ENTITLED to them!
Those who protest by deliberately not voting or deliberately spoiling their vote are exercising as sacred a right as the right to vote! A true revolutionary should know that, and would listen to them, for they too have registered a view!
It is in line with this spirit—the letter of which is in the Constitution, that 'every citizen is free to make political choices'—that Ronnie Kasrils, alongside Barney Pityana and others, in 2014 called on people to protest by spoiling their vote.
I’m sure you’ll agree, these are stalwarts of the anti-apartheid movement. They understood that no one—NOT even their own comrades—is ENTITLED to votes.
But first, go to the wall, brother. There, the measure of your weight is fully determined."
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
“That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure!”
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
In the end, the writing is on the wall—properly displayed in percentages.
It begs the obvious question: what is it about YOU that produced this performance? Why is it that you have lost almost half of your vote share? Yes, YOU!
As I have said before, go argue with the wall.
As for me, I did abstain. A deliberate, conscientious abstention.
The right to abstain is not limited to parliament or council sessions. It is very much constitutional, and available to all citizens—especially those who DO register to vote!
That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure!
Voting MUST NEVER be a conscription; it is a right that comes with responsibility—one that can’t be deployed without conscience.
Above all, NO ONE is entitled to people's votes. VOTES are earned, just like respect. To say otherwise is the gospel according to dictators.
How else can we explain that Mandela campaigned in 1994 and lost both KZN and Western Cape, yet Mbeki won both 10 years later? They earned the votes through results on the ground by improving the living standards of our people. They were NOT ENTITLED to them!
Those who protest by deliberately not voting or deliberately spoiling their vote are exercising as sacred a right as the right to vote! A true revolutionary should know that, and would listen to them, for they too have registered a view!
It is in line with this spirit—the letter of which is in the Constitution, that 'every citizen is free to make political choices'—that Ronnie Kasrils, alongside Barney Pityana and others, in 2014 called on people to protest by spoiling their vote.
I’m sure you’ll agree, these are stalwarts of the anti-apartheid movement. They understood that no one—NOT even their own comrades—is ENTITLED to votes.
But first, go to the wall, brother. There, the measure of your weight is fully determined."
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
A supporter unable to reach a polling station & one consciously withholding their vote may produce the same electoral outcome. However, they present very different campaign challenges. One calls for understanding and removing barriers to participation. The other demands an honest examination of credibility, trust and the political offer. Sometimes those problems overlap. A serious campaign must know the difference & not assign a convenient explanation to everyone who stayed home.
For me, that is the value of listening throughout a campaign.
The missing voter is not an empty space in a spreadsheet, nor is their absence a message we can interpret without interrogation.
Before blaming citizens for staying home, campaigns should confront a harder question: Did we give people a reason to vote and make it possible for them to do so?
#PoliticalCampaigns #TheMissingVoter #VoterMobilisation #PoliticalStrategy
NOT VOTING IS A POLITICAL SIGNAL. CAN YOUR CAMPAIGN READ IT?
From a political campaigning perspective, a voter who deliberately withholds their vote is making a choice about the political offer before them.
They may recognise your party, understand your message and even identify with your history, yet remain unconvinced that you deserve their vote.
Party loyalty is not a turnout guarantee.
Campaigns often assume that their task is to persuade people to choose them over their opponents. But there is another contest: convincing people that voting is worth the effort at all.
Your candidate is competing with disappointment, distrust and the belief that nothing will change.
This is where the claim that “not voting is a form of participation” becomes useful, provided we do not assume that every absence is deliberate protest. A supporter unable to reach a polling station and a former supporter consciously withholding their vote may produce the same electoral outcome. They represent very different campaign failures.
One raises questions about access and mobilisation. The other raises questions about credibility and the political offer.
A serious campaign must know the difference.
Rallies, social media engagement and favourable polling cannot answer whether people trust you enough to act. That requires sustained listening, credible commitments and organisation that connects support to participation.
The missing voter is not an empty space in your spreadsheet. There is a reason behind that absence.
Before blaming citizens for staying home, campaigns should confront a harder question:
Did we give people a reason to vote, and make it possible for them to do so?
#PoliticalCampaigns #TheMissingVoter #VoterMobilisation #PoliticalStrategy @MbuyiseniNdlozi
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
Even if you don’t agree with his decision not to vote, he is raising valid points. Perhaps those who registered did not see any option on the ballot that can serve them, and abstaining is also a political statement.
In the end, the writing is on the wall—properly displayed in percentages.
It begs the obvious question: what is it about YOU that produced this performance? Why is it that you have lost almost half of your vote share? Yes, YOU!
As I have said before, go argue with the wall.
As for me, I did abstain. A deliberate, conscientious abstention.
The right to abstain is not limited to parliament or council sessions. It is very much constitutional, and available to all citizens—especially those who DO register to vote!
That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure!
Voting MUST NEVER be a conscription; it is a right that comes with responsibility—one that can’t be deployed without conscience.
Above all, NO ONE is entitled to people's votes. VOTES are earned, just like respect. To say otherwise is the gospel according to dictators.
How else can we explain that Mandela campaigned in 1994 and lost both KZN and Western Cape, yet Mbeki won both 10 years later? They earned the votes through results on the ground by improving the living standards of our people. They were NOT ENTITLED to them!
Those who protest by deliberately not voting or deliberately spoiling their vote are exercising as sacred a right as the right to vote! A true revolutionary should know that, and would listen to them, for they too have registered a view!
It is in line with this spirit—the letter of which is in the Constitution, that 'every citizen is free to make political choices'—that Ronnie Kasrils, alongside Barney Pityana and others, in 2014 called on people to protest by spoiling their vote.
I’m sure you’ll agree, these are stalwarts of the anti-apartheid movement. They understood that no one—NOT even their own comrades—is ENTITLED to votes.
But first, go to the wall, brother. There, the measure of your weight is fully determined."
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
NOT VOTING IS A POLITICAL SIGNAL. CAN YOUR CAMPAIGN READ IT?
From a political campaigning perspective, a voter who deliberately withholds their vote is making a choice about the political offer before them.
They may recognise your party, understand your message and even identify with your history, yet remain unconvinced that you deserve their vote.
Party loyalty is not a turnout guarantee.
Campaigns often assume that their task is to persuade people to choose them over their opponents. But there is another contest: convincing people that voting is worth the effort at all.
Your candidate is competing with disappointment, distrust and the belief that nothing will change.
This is where the claim that “not voting is a form of participation” becomes useful, provided we do not assume that every absence is deliberate protest. A supporter unable to reach a polling station and a former supporter consciously withholding their vote may produce the same electoral outcome. They represent very different campaign failures.
One raises questions about access and mobilisation. The other raises questions about credibility and the political offer.
A serious campaign must know the difference.
Rallies, social media engagement and favourable polling cannot answer whether people trust you enough to act. That requires sustained listening, credible commitments and organisation that connects support to participation.
The missing voter is not an empty space in your spreadsheet. There is a reason behind that absence.
Before blaming citizens for staying home, campaigns should confront a harder question:
Did we give people a reason to vote, and make it possible for them to do so?
#PoliticalCampaigns #TheMissingVoter #VoterMobilisation #PoliticalStrategy @MbuyiseniNdlozi
In the end, the writing is on the wall—properly displayed in percentages.
It begs the obvious question: what is it about YOU that produced this performance? Why is it that you have lost almost half of your vote share? Yes, YOU!
As I have said before, go argue with the wall.
As for me, I did abstain. A deliberate, conscientious abstention.
The right to abstain is not limited to parliament or council sessions. It is very much constitutional, and available to all citizens—especially those who DO register to vote!
That our voter registration increases by millions every time is a sign of genuine interest. When they do not show up to vote, after turning out to register, they may very well be refusing to choose between different versions of failure!
Voting MUST NEVER be a conscription; it is a right that comes with responsibility—one that can’t be deployed without conscience.
Above all, NO ONE is entitled to people's votes. VOTES are earned, just like respect. To say otherwise is the gospel according to dictators.
How else can we explain that Mandela campaigned in 1994 and lost both KZN and Western Cape, yet Mbeki won both 10 years later? They earned the votes through results on the ground by improving the living standards of our people. They were NOT ENTITLED to them!
Those who protest by deliberately not voting or deliberately spoiling their vote are exercising as sacred a right as the right to vote! A true revolutionary should know that, and would listen to them, for they too have registered a view!
It is in line with this spirit—the letter of which is in the Constitution, that 'every citizen is free to make political choices'—that Ronnie Kasrils, alongside Barney Pityana and others, in 2014 called on people to protest by spoiling their vote.
I’m sure you’ll agree, these are stalwarts of the anti-apartheid movement. They understood that no one—NOT even their own comrades—is ENTITLED to votes.
But first, go to the wall, brother. There, the measure of your weight is fully determined."
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
Were you a #MissingVoter in #LGE2026?
What is a #MissingVoter, you ask?
A #MissingVoter is one of two people: a registered voter who stays home, or an eligible voter who never registers to vote in the first place.
In #LGE2026, #SouthAfrica 🇿🇦 had about 29.6 million of them:
• 13.9m registered but stayed home
• ≈15.7m eligible but not on the roll
That is two in three eligible citizens!
Every one of them had a reason.
More in this 🧵:
Were you a #MissingVoter in #LGE2026?
A missing voter is one of two people: a registered voter who stays home, or an eligible citizen who never registers.
In #LGE2026, South Africa 🇿🇦 had about 29.6 million of them:
• 13.9m registered but stayed home
• ≈15.7m eligible but not on the roll
That is two in three eligible citizens. Every one of them had a reason.
A thread on why those reasons are the most valuable evidence a campaign can collect 🧵
#MissingVoter #PCRHCampaignDiagnostics
Were you a #MissingVoter in #LGE2026?
A missing voter is one of two people: a registered voter who stays home, or an eligible citizen who never registers.
In #LGE2026, South Africa 🇿🇦 had about 29.6 million of them:
• 13.9m registered but stayed home
• ≈15.7m eligible but not on the roll
That is two in three eligible citizens. Every one of them had a reason.
A thread on why those reasons are the most valuable evidence a campaign can collect 🧵
#MissingVoter #PCRHCampaignDiagnostics
Campaigns should listen and before any message goes out to, for or about the #MissingVoter - seek to understand and engage first:
1- Map #MissingVoters by ward missing-voter-sa.politicalhu…
2- Survey and canvass the non-voters
3-Sort them by their reason
4- Answer the reason, not the person
There are 29.6 million #MissingVoters and the campaign that hears them first has the evidence to start planning for 2029.
#MissingVoter #PCRHCampaignDiagnostics #LGE2026
Campaigns lose nothing from conceding that voters have a right to withhold their votes.
When a campaign attempts to apply pressure on a freely made choice it tends to harden it, while acknowledgement invites engagement and a path to re-claiming the #MissingVoter.
1- listen to and acknowledge the grievance.
2- prove change with local delivery, offer proof not promises.
3- give a specific reason why or how the next election will be different, so returning to vote isn’t a climb-down.
A vote withheld on principle is earned back, not demanded.
Provisional IEC results as at 15:00, 8 Nov 2026.
Live data: missing-voter-sa.politicalhu…
#MissingVoter #LGE2026 #PCRHCampaignDiagnostics
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
Data is fascinating when it tells a clear story. The team at @ResourceHub_HQ did an excellent job breaking down the numbers, voter demographics and voting patterns in the South African elections. Is democracy truly democratic when only a quarter of eligible voters participate?
Think of it as a stokvel. 100 people qualify to decide.
33 came to the meeting.
30 paid their subs but stayed home.
35 never joined.
The 33 decide for all 100: how resources are used, who is in charge, and what gets fixed first.
#MissingVoterTracker #LGE2026
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
This is why any campaign strategy has to start with the numbers.
Who are the missing voters? Where are they, down to the ward and voting station? What will it take to get them to the polls?
In a close race, the #MissingVoter decides the result, whether or not anyone has a plan for them.
#LGE2026 #PoliticalCampaigns #CampaignStrategy #Shikamo
A coin toss just decided who won Ward 17 in Steve Tshwete. The SACP and the ANC each finished on 966 votes. In the same ward, 2,880 registered voters stayed home, almost three times either party's total. Turnout was 51.5%.
If we to look at the missing voter tracker dashboard by @ResourceHub_HQ ( missing-voter-sa.politicalhu… ), the ANC also lost 409 votes here compared with 2021, and the missing voters were in the same ward the whole time. A party that had counted them, found them and planned to bring even a small share to the polls would not have needed luck.
This is why any campaign strategy has to start with the numbers. Who are the missing voters? Where are they, down to the ward and voting station? What will it take to get them to the polls? In a close race, the missing voter decides the result, whether or not anyone has a plan for them.
#LGE2026 #MissingVoters #CampaignStrategy #Shikamo
Political Campaigns Resource Hub retweeted
Fascinating.
Our @ResourceHub_HQ data team has been collating @IECSouthAfrica data via the Missing Voter Tracker and generating preliminary campaign diagnostics.
Every party now knows where it landed, but very few might know how they got there: who turned up for them, who left, and who never came out at all.
Get some answers by checking out the station-by-station data on our #MissingVoterTracker - missing-voter-sa.politicalhu…
This thread shares our team's preliminary campaign diagnostic for @EFFSouthAfrica 🧵
#MissingVoter #LGE2026 #PCRHCampaignDiagnostics
