Reversing the downward spiral in youth voter participation
DR VUSI SHONGWE
Participation in elections has proved to be critical in the democratisation process all over the world. Thus, the presence of young people in politics throughout the representation process is quintessential. According to experts, youth's political involvement worldwide has taken a hit. Undoubtedly, South Africa is no exception.
Our youth's political engagement, particularly in elections, has ebbed unimaginably over the years in our democracy. Concerns about young people's civic engagement and political participation have attracted the interest of scholars and triggered a deluge of studies from cross-disciplinary perspectives.
WHY DON'T YOUNG PEOPLE VOTE?
Globally, several explanations are given as to why increasing numbers of young people fail to turn out at general elections. As discussed by Richard H. Kimberlee in his piece "Why Don't British Young People Vote at General Elections?" the explanations are: First, there are 'youth focused' explanations that suggest non- participation is a consequence of young people's age or their social background.
Second, there are what can be called 'politics focused' explanations that draw attention to barriers created by either state institutions or political parties that tend to exclude young people from politics.
Third, there are 'alternative value' explanations that suggest young people are attracted to alternative political ideas and movements that are outside the ambit of political parties. In this approach, argues Kimberlee, voting is believed to have no attraction for young people because political parties fail to acknowledge their different political ideals.
Finally, there are 'generational' explanations that point to changing social circumstances, transition journeys to 'adult status' and unique events experienced by young people, which are either undermining their ability to participate, or preventing them from knowing how to participate at elections.
Indeed, the youth political disengagement is a global phenomenon in which the political space has been dominated by the entrenched political class in ways that suffocate young people's political interests and aspirations. Apoliticization is another reason why the youth has not been participating both in politics and elections.
Domestically, the fact that the ages of the key politicians who led the sixth administration ranged between 65 to the 75 has had a hand to the political marginalization of the youth. To put it bluntly, the inexorable politicians have maintained a tight fist on the nation's political jugular to the detriment of the nation as a whole and the youth in particular.
The political asphyxiation the youth feel have been subjected by their senior leadership has been made worse by an absence of succession plans tailored to mentor the youth. This is one problem that cuts across all political parties. Overall, the gerontocratic dominance from all political parties, with particular emphasis to the African National Congress as the ruling party, gave rise to young people's diminishing interest in electoral and other civic activities until the 29th of May 2024.
TURNING POINT: THE REJUVENATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS
A sense that the 29 May elections could mark a turning point for South Africa has been captured by the greater of involvement of the youth. There is a saying that there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.
This thought came to my mind last night when I saw thousands of young voters, especially first-time voters, who were not deterred by the long queues in their quest to cast their votes. Young voters appear to have turned the corner. Finally, the have taken heed of the late singer, Mandoza's famous song "uzoyithola kanjani uhleli ekhoneni? (How are you going to get it, sitting in a corner?).
Indeed, the youth political participation was facing a perilous prognosis in our advanced democratic milieu. Their apparent return to politics augurs well for our democracy. Citizens' participation is at the heart of democracy. Hence, political philosophers and theorists consider an informed citizenry to be the lifeblood of democracy.
I am not sure whether this unprecedented change of heart is attributed to strategies of different political parties or the miasma of hopelessness that is so pervasive among the youth. Either way, the wheels of democracy appear to have been greased very well this time around, as exemplified by the resurgence of youth voter participation.
For years, despite the many efforts by political parties, the youth demographic was just not interested in "rocking the vote," and turnout at the polls over the years was always at an all-time low. A breakthrough happened on 29 May 2024.
The downward spiral in youth voter participation appears to have been finally reversed. Ironically, it is the flipside of voter apathy among the youth that has engendered the participation of the youth. They all say they want change, a sentiment that is also echoed by experienced voters. Feelings of political incompetence and corruption are top reasons young people decided to register and vote this time around.
To put it crudely, they are sick and tired of being sick and tired of the corruption that has ransacked our once beautiful country. Contrary to common assumptions that the majority of young people are generally apathetic towards elections. Not this time. This time, they appear to be knowledgeable about what is happening around them.
Could this be attributable to political parties' campaign strategies and messages? Partly. Just like the elders, young people appear to have become fed up by all the malfeasance and a litany of unethical conducts by those whom they voted to ameliorate their lives for the better.
It is worth mentioning that it is ironical that issues that in the past would have made the youth not to participate in elections are the very same issues that have galvanized them this time around to participate in elections to, as all say, effect change.
The way the government has handled NFSAS at various tertiary institutions has not gone down well with students. The shenanigans around NFSAS have not helped matters either.
Some students literally starve without NFSAS. Some even resort to prostitution and drugs to make ends meet. I have personally witnessed students going to bed having had one 'fat koek' as a meal. In short, the issue of NFSAS has angered many students against the government. The less said about loadshedding, the better. Many academic programmes have been severely affected by the dreaded loadshedding at the detriment of students.
I am tempted to believe that T.shirts seem to have played their part in this election. For me, the T-shirts of the Inkatha Freedom Party were the best. Colourful and festooned with the images of the founder of the party, the ever great Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
When dorning the t-shirts, IFP members both felt the absence and presence of Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Whatever the outcome of the elections, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi will be turning reverently in his grave.
I would be remiss not to mention the pivotal role the social media has played to galvanizing the youth by removing it from the periphery of the agenda and play place them into the epicentre of the scheme of things. In an era of increasing youth marginalization and political despondency occasioned by diminishing attention to young people's concerns, as an alternative, the youth have embraced a new range of political behaviours and actions that allow airing of their political grievances.
The new form of political activities engaged in by the youths is naturally compatible with the expressive, informative, interactive and engaging characters, is the social media. Social media has become not only spheres for political activism, but also avenues for accumulating political capital needed to keep the politically alive. In view of resourcefulness of social media for political participation, it could be argued that the politically- grieving youth benefit from sites for civic volunteerism.
With increasing access to social media, young people have become socially and politically active, challenging the political status quo, holding power accountable and expressing their political viewpoints.
It would be remiss of me not to give credit to all the political parties for the amount of work that went into their campaigns for this mother of all South Africans. No matter the outcomes of these elections, South Africa's democracy has matured. The elections have been conducted through a spirit of camaraderie.
Hopefully, younger leaders will be drafted into parliament post the elections to replace the aging leadership. There is no shortage of pressing issues. Economic changes should be high on the agenda.
It is my take that the elections was not only virtually violence-free, but it also had the largest youth turnout. Kudos to all South Africans, especially people from KwaZulu-Natal. There was a palpable sense of trepidation about the 29 May 2024.
False soothsayers predicted a bloodbath in KZN. The IFP, ANC and MKP members in KwaZulu-Natal showed incredible amount of political tolerance. Not only did they chanted their slogans together, but they also proved that, just like a soccer game, politics is a contest. One hopes the youth have learned that voting is not just about picking a winner or a loser or a specific candidate. It is about advocating oneself. Indeed, moving forward, there is a need to emphasize the vital role the youth must play in the political modernization process.
Most importantly, there is a need to create a forward-looking generation capable of facing challenges and driving the society towards innovation and creativity, fostering a strong sense of national identity. Lagging youth participation not only threatens participatory democracy, it also undermines the representation of young people's interest in elected government. Without any political representation there was limited scope for young people to change world they live in.
There is no doubt that the 2024 elections in South Africa has boosted civic participation among young South Africans. The great educator John Dewey once wrote that "democracy needs to be reborn in every generation." I hope the 29 May 2024 elections have not only led to democracy be reborn, but they have also revived civic engagement among young people.
I hope civic organizations and political parties will not allow the spirit has been engendered by the 2024 elections among the youth to dissipate. They must not allow the new voters to wander off back to the sidelines. There is a need to sustain the discussion of critical issues that began with the election campaign.
The potential now exists for the hundreds of thousands of new voters to make their voices heard in elections to come. Indeed, those who do not vote often have their problems ignored. Voting should become a priority among South Africa's youth. Lest it be forgotten, it was young people in this country who awoke the conscience of the nation by demonstrating and protesting the injustices of apartheid.
They challenged the white supremacy and ultimately made South Africa a liveable place. Yes. The issues are different today. The challenges may not be same, but they are challenges: challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. As Sanford Ungar, who was school principal of Goucher College in the US wrote: "Voting is about more than feuds and foibles of individual candidates. It's about taking advantage of a right that many people in the world do not have. In former careers, I have worked in countries where people spent their lives fighting for the right to vote - and where many died pursuing the right to have their voices heard."
Dr Shongwe is the chief director of the Heritage Resource Services in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture. The column was written in his personal capacity.