Youth have their say about voting

By: Thulisile Mncube

As campaigns for the nomination of ward councillors in the forthcoming 2016 local government elections on August 3, gather momentum, young people are expected to change the landscape of local politics.

To confirm this, all three leading political parties contesting the elections, such as the African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have taken full advantage in exploiting this youthful representation by casting young people as nominated ward councillor candidates.

To test the voting will among the local youth, Kathorus MAIL conducted a series of street interviews and asked young people about their views and opinions about the forthcoming election and for which political party they will be casting their vote for.

Many politically active young people indicated that they would be voting in the coming August local elections. “I do plan on voting and I will be voting for the DA. All that I hope and pray for is that my vote will be taken into consideration by whoever I cast my vote for because I do want to see change in South Africa,” said 20-year-old BCom Media Studies student Sithembiso Thwala.

“Meanwhile, some students are still simply not informed enough about the country’s politics or are just not interested. The coming local elections are a political event that has no impact on their lives,” said Thwala.

“I don’t think I’m going to vote. I don’t feel I’m informed enough to make a decision like that. I’m not interested in politics even though everything that is happening in the country affects me. But if I were to vote, I would vote for EFF,” said 24 year-old BCom student Nomonde Nyamande Hloni Sibiya.

Some of the young people interviewed admitted to not taking politics seriously because they do not understand how local national government politics is run. They said the entire process and purpose of local and national government elections remain a mystifying exercise that neither they, nor their parents and grandparents understood.

Many young people see service delivery protests as the only process communities use to express their concerns and interact with local governments. “I suggest that youth should be reminded that voting is their democratic right. And they should be shown just how powerful their vote is towards strengthening our democracy. As for me, I will vote for ANC,” said Nnoi Connie Makhetha, aged 22 and a journalism student at Boston College. Nnoi added that the youth should not only consider voting as a political process but also as an opportunity to shape the future of South Africa for generations to come. “I will be casting my vote for the ANC,” she said proudly.

“It is now up to us to move the country forward and one of the most viable tools we have is voting. I will vote for ANC,” said 23-year-old Thakane Mnunu.

For the first time political leaders will no longer look at young people as their ticket to self-enriching positions. “With recent burning issues such as Fees Must Fall still fresh in their minds, many young people will make ensure that elected local leaders account not just to their constituencies but to all communities,” said Steve Mohapi, whose ballot choice for next weeks’ local elections is DA.

“I have vowed to use the upcoming municipal elections next month as a tool to challenge the status quo and change South Africa’s political landscape,” said 19-year-old Isaac, who said he’ll be casting his vote for the EFF.

“I am going to participate on one condition: that nominated candidates promise specific measurable, attainable, realistic deliverables,” said Isaac.