Thirty years of democracy - how far have we come?
AS WE COMMEMORATE Youth Day on June 16, young South Africans have shared their thoughts on how far they believe we have come as a country and what they hoped for the future.
Shivaan Premdutt, 24, a medical intern, said he believed that 30 years into democracy, citizens still faced service delivery issues and unemployment.
“These are issues that should have been long resolved. Furthermore, inequality is still at its prime, opportunities are still rare and hardships are a devastating reality.
“In addition, being employed in the health sector has made me realise the struggles we face in health facilities nationwide - often compromising patient care. From being severely short-staffed and overworked, to lack of equipment and sub-optimal facilities, we see how patient-centred healthcare is compromised. Ironically, the number of unemployed healthcare professionals is growing, despite the drastic shortage,” he said.
Premdutt said seeing a change, today or tomorrow, seemed unrealistic.
“We have been trying for the last 30 years - but these issues remain unchanged. However, we still remain optimistic that South Africa will see its pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“I still have hope and believe that us youth are the hope for our beautiful rainbow nation. We are the change needed. We possess resilient leadership skills and knowledge to be the change we want to see and the voice we want to hear. It starts with us,” he said.
Paleni Iyer, 24, an environmentalist, said: “After the 2024 elections, I reflected on our journey since 1994. While progress has been made in governance and democracy, evident in the improved voting environment and reduced controversy, I noticed the neglect in service delivery, youth unemployment, and housing.
“As a resident of KwaZulu-Natal, I have also witnessed devastating tragedies, including looting, floods, and a tornado which have exposed the government's inadequacy in responding to crises. The recent tornado which took place mere days after the elections, the buses that were around all the time were conspicuously absent from the disaster zone, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.”
Iyer said amidst the negativity, she had seen the resilience and solidarity of communities.
“The spirit of ubuntu shines bright, with citizens rallying together to support each other and this brings me to believe that we can see change.
I hope for a future where disaster preparedness and response are prioritised. I am inspired by Nelson Mandela's wisdom, 'Hope is a powerful weapon even when all else is lost’. I aspire to be part of the solution and encourage others to do the same,” she said.
Aqeel Madhi, 26, a machine learning engineer, said measuring the progress as a democracy through the lens of youth development revealed a worrying trend.
“Over the past two decades, youth unemployment has sky-rocketed from 36% to an alarming 50%. This stark increase, coupled with the fact that 60% of children aged between 13 and 17 live in poverty, paints a grim picture of our nation's failure to uplift its most vulnerable citizens.
“Furthermore, these statistics, along with unquantified challenges like inadequate health care, subpar education, mental health issues, and gender-based violence, clearly indicate that we have not progressed positively, especially in terms of youth empowerment and well-being,” he said.
Madhi, who is a steering committee member of the National Youth Coalition, said the results of the recent elections were likely to usher in the country’s first coalition government, marking a significant change in our political landscape.
“However, the impact of this change remains uncertain. While coalitions offer the potential for diverse voices and collaborative governance, our experience with smaller-scale coalitions have been marked by instability and dysfunction. I am cautiously optimistic yet deeply concerned about the potential instability a national coalition might bring.
“Despite these challenges, South Africa's resilience and community spirit give me hope. The outpouring of support during recent natural disasters in KwaZulu- Natal exemplifies the compassion and unity inherent in our people. My vision for our country and province is one where this spirit of ubuntu permeates all sectors, especially government. We urgently need authentic youth representation in decision-making processes, not mere tokenism,” he said.
Ashlin Ellan, 28, a teacher, said: “Reflecting on 30 years of democracy, our country has made notable strides in areas like human rights and education, but continues to struggle with service delivery, high youth unemployment, and housing shortages. While there is potential for change driven by new policies and technological advancements, systemic corruption and economic challenges could impede progress.
“My hopes for the country include improved governance, sustainable economic growth, and enhanced social cohesion. For my province, I wish for better local development, more job opportunities, and environmental sustainability. Personally, I aim for continuous growth, active community involvement, and a healthy living environment,” he said.
Akshay Singh, 31, a financial advisor, said: “ Viewing the trajectory of the youth of South Africa, I definitely see massive progress for our youth from private schools and universities, with the ease of which they are demanded from first world countries.
“However, as much as this is a great feather in our cap, when we see how many of our professionals are head-hunted overseas, it’s scary to note that there is a rapidly increasing gap between the quality of education in the private school market and the public school market,” he said.
Singh, who is a member of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha(SAHMS), said he however had a positive outlook on the future of the youth in South Africa.
“Even though we may be losing professionals overseas, I have noticed that these recent years of adversity have allowed for some great individuals and young leaders to take centre stage. It is this drive for leadership and guidance that is inspired from water shortages, load shedding, natural disasters, and political unrest that has fuelled our youth to start responding and acting in their own ways.
“They have used social media as a powerful platform to reach out to like minded youth, as well as join forces with major organisations and move up the ranks to create change from positions of influence. I look at these recent periods of adversity as a positive opportunity to drive change and active participation which we as South Africans wit a rich history of great individuals can draw inspiration from,” he said.
Singh said he was hoping to see change in the education sector.
“Not just the school and university based education, but also in simple upskilling of our people who do not have access to formal education. For me this is a core concern that will translate into long term progression.
“I would also love to see sustainable ‘pay-it-forward’ education programmes. Meaning, we create a beautiful, self sustaining system whereby we start with simple funding of pupils from the most impoverished backgrounds, hand picked by the organisations that feed or provide some sort of assistance in their communities,” he said.
Aisha Adam, 22, an intern pharmacist said: I believe that the ANC government, South Africa's ruling party since the dawn of democracy, has proven to be a post-colonial disappointment. Though the party was founded on the principles of liberation, it has now progressed into a spindle that weaves systemic corruption.
“As of 2024, South Africa has one of the highest rates of unemployment globally, with almost half of the youth being unemployed. Our service delivery is critical now more than ever with water cuts and load shedding, and the wealth disparity is at its largest since apartheid, as there's a minuscule population hoarding the majority of the country's wealth while the majority of the population live on the brink of poverty.
“In the context of social justice, we have been dubbed as a country with one of the highest rates of gender-based violence and femicide globally. Though we find our country in a dire state, leaders of our country continue to feed us false hope to win our favour. As much as there is virtue in finding the silver lining, the uncoated truth is that unless we act with urgency now, we will continue to regress,” she said.
Adam said her hope was for a country that was cognisant of its history of oppression and systematic disenfranchisement.
“This is so that it actively works towards abolishing root causes of injustice. We are 30 years into democracy, 30 years into inheriting an apartheid state, 30 years into trying to reform the systems that failed us. I hope we are able to find new, practical policies to afford people their human rights. Gone are the days where empty promises without delivery and adopted western ideologies sufficed.
“I hope for a country with political leaders who represent the people that they serve, political leaders who place the preservation of human life at the forefront, and don't just demand for their people to survive but for them to truly live. For KwaZulu-Natal, I hope for the development of various grassroots organisations and support for local businesses. I believe that there are multiple avenues to achieving liberation - one of which is community engagement,” she said.
Adam said her personal goal was to create a meaningful impact in her field of work.
“For some, access to healthcare has become a privilege in South Africa, one that's impossible to afford. I hope to spearhead outreach projects at the hospital institution I work at and at the institutions I am yet to work at. Furthermore, I hope to spur educational campaigns in communities that lack healthcare infrastructure.
“However, dreams often remain fictional without support. In order for me to achieve my ambitions, I first hope for an increase in job opportunities and better working conditions for healthcare workers, as well as increased allocation of funding for the healthcare system,” she said.