ANC canvassing youth vote so as to stay relevant
POLITICAL parties have placed the youth at the centre of their campaigns this weekend when the IEC will launch its campaign to address challenges with the 20-year old voters roll.
Although the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is urging eligible voters across the country to visit voting stations this weekend in order to update the voters roll in preparation for next year’s general elections, parties are using the opportunity to canvass votes.
Provincial ANC spokesperson Yonela Diko said Mbeki will be in the city, although details of his visits are unknown.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said the ANC needs to appeal to a younger generation if they are to gain more support.
“We have leaders in the ANC who are close to 70 already. There are also the likes of Helen Zille and Mangosuthu Buthelezi who are all older than 60 years old. In black culture, young people are not trusted and that is a societal issue. In Europe, we see the emergence of young prime ministers and leaders. In Africa we don’t have that,” he said.
“Despite the old leaders we have, South Africa does very well in terms of voter turn-out.”
Mathekga said younger leaders, especially in the ANC, have aligned themselves with older leaders, which does not promote the culture of grooming younger leaders.
“When we look at leaders like Buti Manamela, Malusi Gigaba and others, they have all aligned themselves around leaders. Even young people don’t trust other younger leaders. If we look at the gang violence on the Cape Flats, the older men and women are taking the lead and it is so with other community issues,” he said.
Mathekga believes the problem is that youths are perceived to be too radical and wild.
“And if society doesn’t put some sort of trust in younger leaders, it will be difficult,” he said.
ANC Western Cape chairperson Khaya Magaxa said they will be targeting more youths by marketing to younger people.
Without revealing their political strategy, he said: “We have been in contact with our student movements Cosas and Sasco to help us on universities and colleges. We also need to be visible in places young people are to be found.”
DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said they will be canvassing younger voters across the province.
“We cannot exist without younger people, because they are the majority in the country. We are making the DA more accessible to the DA and pivotal to our plan is to reach as many people as we can,” he said.
EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi made a call to all young people to go and register to vote.
“For the first time, young people will constitute the overwhelming majority of the voters roll,” he said.
Courtney Sampson, IEC provincial head, said this weekend they will be addressing the voters roll, but they remain focused on youths.