The Junior City Council officially welcomed the newly selected Junior City Councillors (JCC) on Saturday, 7 March 2026, following a record-breaking 929 applications for the programme. The JCC held its orientation day for the parents and 50 selected students from schools across the City of Cape Town.
The City of Cape Town remains the only municipality in South Africa to run a JCC programme, giving young people a unique opportunity to learn about local government and civic leadership.
The JCC is a one-year leadership programme developed to give young people insight into how local government works and the key functions of a municipality. It provides participants with an opportunity to grow in their knowledge, learn more about themselves, and develop their leadership skills. The programme also seeks to inspire young people to take an active role in their communities and to be the change they want to see in their immediate environment.
‘As a newly appointed co-custodian, I look forward to being involved in a programme that will not only inspire, but will allow me to assist and engage with Cape Town’s future leaders. Every young person needs a start in understanding the political environment and hopefully it creates the opportunity for more young people to be actively involved in the political sphere,’ said Cllr Nicole Sukers.
Cllr Nicola Jowell, co-custodian of the Junior City Council, said the strong response to the programme reflects the growing interest young people have in leadership and civic participation.
‘Being selected as one of the 50 Junior City Councillors from nearly 1 000 applicants is an outstanding achievement. What stood out during the orientation was the enthusiasm and willingness of these young people to step forward and get involved. The Junior City Council is a powerful example of active citizenship, and we look forward to supporting this cohort as they learn about local government, develop their leadership skills and build lasting connections with one another over what-promises-to-be an exciting and packed programme for the year ahead.’
The co-custodians also acknowledged the work done by Cllr Donovan Nelson, who has played a key role in strengthening and developing the Junior City Council programme over the past few years. His efforts in building the curriculum and expanding the programme have laid a strong foundation for the continued growth of the initiative.
We look forward to the year ahead and to working with the 50 newly selected Junior City Councillors as they begin their journey in the Junior City Council 2026 programme.
