On November 1, the people of this country will be heading to the polls to vote for their local leaders. This will be one of the most import local government elections as it will indicate whether the people of SA are ready to choose a government on the basis of ideology or loyalty.

Corruption has been a main hindrance to the development of this country and people must make their voices heard by voting it in or out. There are leaders who always act in contrast to what they always preach. There are leaders who are willing to kill for position in local government but people still vote them in.

This time, people must act against these autocratic tendencies. They must choose leaders who will serve them selflessly. Leaders who lead through consent of the people and not coercion. If these tendencies are rooted out, we will be a step closer to alleviating corruption. We will be one step ahead of dealing with political killings that are mainly driven by thirst for power.

People must remember that local government elections are about them and not the people they will be voting for because the very same people may not be representing their interests even though they got most votes in community meetings (in case of ANC processes of candidates' selection). Those people might have won through coercion, threatening people and using money to buy votes as happens in many wards.

These elections will test whether we are indeed committed to fighting the ills of incumbency associated with the scourge of corruption.

Tom Mhlanga, Braamfontein, Joburg