The Electoral Commission has officially
commenced its Outreach Training of Trainers programme in Umhlanga,
KwaZulu-Natal, on 26 November 2025, marking a major milestone in preparations
to welcome 834 Municipal Outreach Coordinators (MOCs) in January 2026.
This programme ultimately strengthens
voter experience and builds confidence in the electoral process by ensuring
communities receive accurate, clear and reliable election information. It
equips voters to navigate and resist misinformation and disinformation, reduces
confusion, and enhances the overall efficiency and integrity of the 2026/7
Local Government Elections.
“The 2026/7 Local Government Elections
demand the highest levels of preparation, coordination and professionalism.
This Training of Trainers is not merely an internal exercise - it is a critical
investment in the calibre of our civic education and voter outreach. Every
Outreach official we capacitate strengthens the credibility of our democracy.
The 834 MOCs who join us in January will form the backbone of our engagement
with communities, and it is essential that they are trained by facilitators who
are confident, standardised and fully aligned. This programme ensures exactly
that,” said Electoral Commission CEO, Sy Mamabolo.
This foundational session aims to ensure
that every layer of the outreach programme is aligned, capacitated and
uniformly equipped ahead of the 2026/7 Local Government Elections.
The programme focuses on seven key
objectives:
- Briefing
participants on the approved LGE 2026 plans and activities for the
Outreach Division.
- Unpacking the
training manual that will guide all outreach training during the election
cycle.
- Aligning
training topics with supportive Civic and Democracy Education (CDE)
materials, including factsheets, animations, audio content and social
media toolkits.
- Strengthening
and augmenting existing learning outcomes to ensure consistency and
clarity.
- Enhancing
assessment activities that test readiness, content retention and
facilitation capability.
- Introducing the
new audience-feedback survey tool, a vital monitoring and evaluation
instrument for the Outreach programme.
- Developing
standardised training presentations for each unit in the training manual.
Mamabolo emphasised that these elements
form the bedrock of ensuring outreach work remains central to enabling informed
participation in the democratic process.
“Our mandate is not only to run
elections, but to ensure voters understand their rights, responsibilities and
the processes that uphold our democracy. By equipping our trainers now, we
ensure that every voter we engage in 2026 receives accurate, accessible and
empowering information,” he said.
The Training of Trainers workshop
concludes on 27 November, with key outputs including updated learning outcomes,
revised assessments, finalised training presentations and an integrated
monitoring tool to support implementation across all provinces.
ISSUED
BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring
free, fair and credible elections
For media queries: Please contact Kate
Bapela on 082 600 6386
For
media interviews: Please email requests to [email protected]
Follow
us on social media: