SA’s greatest asset lies in its young people. They are the future entrepreneurs, innovators and job creators
As much as 59% of people under the age of 35 didn’t vote in the 2021 municipal elections.From the historic 1976 Soweto Uprising to the courageous advocacy of Nkosi Johnson in the face of HIV/Aids, and the powerful #FeesMustFall protests, young South Africans have played a pivotal role in driving positive change throughout our nation’s history. In doing so, they demonstrated the importance of being active citizens.
While there are any number of understandable reasons for that low turnout, it’s important for young South Africans to remember that voting is the cornerstone of active citizenship. And as the country readies itself for the 2024 general election, which looks set to be the most contested in the country’s history, cultivating that sense of active citizenship will be more important than ever.
The first misconception is that voting won’t change anything. While it’s all too easy to think that, or believe popular commentary that may suggest that political parties may not exactly change their attitudes about service delivery if voted out of power, that’s simply not the case.
To debunk the idea that individual votes hold no significance, it’s worth looking at voter turnout figures again. Did you know that the number of young people who didn’t vote in the 2021 elections is roughly equal to the number of votes the ANC got in the 2019 national poll? Unlikely as it is to ever happen, if young people coalesced around a single party, it could well take control of the country.
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