Future leaders need to make their mark

Youth play an important role in shaping the future of their country. Think Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela who established the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) to galvanise youth in the fight against apartheid. All prominent members of the ANCYL, these men would later go on to play a pivotal role in the eventual demise of apartheid in SA. Their efforts, and the efforts of many others like them — some of whom died as a result — made it possible for all SA citizens aged 18 and older to vote and usher in a new democracy.

So the findings of a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report delivered on Tuesday at an IEC seminar exploring electoral trends in the country — and more specifically the Eastern Cape — come as a shock and, quite frankly, a disappointment.

The report found there was a growing disillusionment in democracy and lower voter enthusiasm was threatening a permanent separation of the youth from the electoral system.

HSRC’s South African Social Attitudes Survey (Sasas) director Benjamin Roberts said: “The youth are starting to disengage from politics through the ballot box and have not yet had their first electoral experience.

“We have a culture of voting in SA and have been to the ballot box before — there is a general trend for people to come out in the end.

“But in the absence of having your first electoral experience, that culture cannot take root among younger voters.”

It is important now, with trust in political institutions at the lowest it has ever been since the HSRC started the survey in 2003 and with voter turnout expected to decrease, that we inculcate a culture of voting among the youth and make them aware of the importance of voting.

While we understand that disillusionment and voter apathy might be a consequence of growing dissatisfaction with government, it should never come at the expense of our hard-fought-for democracy.

Rather, it is all the more reason to vote.

It is not only a crucial component of a healthy democracy but also an essential way for young people to actively participate in the development of the country, the country of their future, by not just electing leaders who will work for them but also promote ideas.

With a national government election about a year away, we have work to do to ensure every eligible person is registered to vote and that eligible voter casts their vote.