2024 is approaching and the nation is waiting to see the turnout of the 2024 general elections. One of the main questions regarding citizens participation during elections are; are the youth likely to vote and if they do vote, will they vote rationally.
When South Africa became a democratic State, South Africans , more particularly the previously disadvantaged groups, became hopeful of a better standard of living. However, unfortunately, over 20 years into democracy, the living conditions of the majority of South Africans have not improved.
There are various political and socio-economic issues that have led to the youth’s lack of trust in governance. Some of the issues include high youth unemployment, poor service delivery, lack of accountability by political leaders and the reluctance of political leaders in creating environments where the youth can have an influence in the political spectrum.
The youth should be encouraged to vote because if they do not, the future of the country could be at risk. The question is, are the youth in a position to vote rationally? It appears, most of the young people are less interested in politics. There has to be ways to encourage the youth to vote in the upcoming elections. However, the youth also need to be educated about political issues to enable them to make informed decisions.
Taking into consideration the psychological and emotional turmoil that the majority of the youth is going through as a result of unemployment, it is of utmost importance that they do not vote with their hearts but with their minds.
For the purpose of this article, let us say we have two voting groups, the youth and the elderly. These two groups are completely different, in a sense that one only knows South Africa as a democratic state, while the other group has experienced South Africa as a democratic state and as non-democratic state.
The first point to emphasize is the consistency of the elderly (more particularly from the previously disadvantaged groups)of voting each voting period because they understand the importance of exercising their right to vote. Secondly, the elderly from previously disadvantaged groups are more likely to vote for a political party that played a major in the liberation movement of making democracy a reality.
However, when it comes to the other voting group, which are the youth; there is probably no one who can predict which party they are most likely to vote for. We are living in an era whereby most people are always on the internet. Political parties used to use mass media to influence the intentions of voters but in the upcoming elections the scenario might be different.
The podcasting world on YouTube is growing and various South African Podcasts have the attention of the youth on a daily basis. Some of the popular South African Podcasts include Podcast and Chill with MacG, the Penuel Show, the Hustler’s Corner, Virtual Mkhukhu, the King David Studio, Mngxitama Speaks just to name a few.
The youth viewership of such podcasts could have its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the Podcasts could have a positive impact as they share socio-economic and political information relating to governance in South Africa, which could increase the possibility of rational voting by the youth.
Currently, Podcast and Chill with MacG has the largest following. MacG constantly emphasizes how he feels like the government is “useless” and strongly believe that the youth should distance themselves from the government and rather focus on finding empowerment elsewhere. The major concern becomes, there are probably a lot of people who see MacG as their role model. As a young person, if your role model says voting is pointless, you are probably going to believe it.
Another disadvantage is the fact that young people are lazy to read and do their own research. Most young people believe everything and anything they become exposed to on the internet.
It should be in every young South African’s interest, for the remainder of this year to take it upon themselves to grasp as much socio-economic and political knowledge as they can. Fortunately, citizens can register online on IEC’s website; this will probably increase the number of people registered to vote compared to the previous years.
2024 national and provincial elections are certainly going to be the most unpredictable elections in the history of South African elections. The support for the African National Congress has decreased over the past voting periods. There are too many political parties, which increases the possibility of a coalition government. Last but not least, if the majority of the youth do vote, are they in a position to vote independently based on logic and analysis of political data.
Author: Anonymous
