‘We fought bullets so you guys can fight with ballots’

Young South Africans believe that voting in the 2024 national elections will be their contribution to bringing about the change needed in the country, but they still feel their importance is only recognised when their votes are needed.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) hosted a seminar in Soweto on Tuesday aimed at triggering conversations among the youth about the importance of being active citizens who contribute towards building the country of their dreams.

“While we are concerned about youth participation in elections generally, we are using initiatives like this one to encourage young people to partake in democratic processes,” said Thabo Masemula, an IEC provincial electoral officer.

“And it appears to us that the upcoming elections will be a turning point, with young people showing eagerness.”

Panellists included former student leader Seth Mazibuko, chancellor of the June 16 Youth Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to promote the history and values of youth leadership. The foundation draws its name from the 16 June 1976 Soweto uprising when young people were killed by police during a protest against the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools.

Mazibuko spoke about the evolution of South Africa’s democracy, saying the youth of today were fighting a different fight to that of his cohort of students.

“We fought bullets so you guys can fight with ballots,” he said.

He said the country had abandoned young people at the dawn of democracy in 1994, in its eagerness to pursue policies like black economic empowerment.

“We rushed to go to parliament and left you guys unattended,” Mazibuko said.

Sbusiso Ntshigila, a volunteer at the Empilweni rehabilitation treatment centre, said it was not fair for young people to only receive attention ahead of elections.

“The very same youth that fought in 1976 (are now) occupying high positions and doing nothing to help the youth of today,” he lamented.

Ntshingila said the IEC should hold more such seminars for young people.

Sizwe Nyambi, the student representative council president at the Tshwane University of Technology, told the Mail & Guardian that some young people were unlikely to vote in next year’s elections as “they have given up because of what is happening in the country”.

“Our government does not care about us as young people. They only offer opportunities to elders in parliament, not the youth that are struggling, therefore the youth feels like they will be voting to further empower the old people in parliament,” Nyambi said.

He added however that he would encourage students to vote next year because if they made the right choice “then the power is in their hands”.

Lindiwe Zwane, who will be casting her ballot for the first time next year, told the M&G that she was excited and believed her vote would make a change.

“I believe that if we all vote for a different political party then all of our problems as the youth will be solved,” Zwane said.