Voting for the ANC is no longer an automatic choice

AS A boy from rural Eastern Cape, Engcobo, I have always been excited by the prospect of one day being afforded the opportunity to vote for the ANC.

It was instilled in me at an early age that the ANC was a people ’ s party.

A party of world-renowned icons such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Govan Mbeki, and Walter Sisulu, among others.

My family and family friends were all die- hard ANC supporters or involved with the ANC in many ways.

Without really giving it much thought, voting for the ANC felt like an automatic choice.

During my early teens I began to have a keen interest in politics. I read almost every newspaper I could find, watched every news bulletin and began to inquisitively ask questions.

I started to look beyond what we were told. Delving into South African politics and the personalities in them.

I investigated what other parties such as the UDM, IFP, Independent Democrats, and DA were about, and later even COPE. What this process revealed to me was that perhaps there was more wrong than right in South Africa.

Crime was rife, corruption plentiful, a lot of people were still without adequate housing, the quality of our education left much to be desired and hundreds of thousands were left destitute with no employment.

As an insider I knew that many pupils in my village still sat under trees at school.

Surely those in government had to be held accountable for this dreadful state of affairs in our country.

Before I knew it, my chance to vote was drawing nearer. It was 2009, my matric year and I was 18 years old. It was the year that South Africa would hold its fourth democratic elections. Suddenly what I thought would be a simple choice at the ballot box had become somewhat difficult.

Surely, a governing party ought to be judged on the delivery of its manifesto promises and services in general during their tenure in office.

Now I had made up my mind and considered my options. I asked my parents what they thought, but they both seemed disinterested and told me that they would not be voting.

Seemingly because of the ANC’s failures, my parents now viewed politicians and political parties with jaundiced eyes. I was not prepared to do the same or turn a blind eye.

Unlike them I would not seethe silently and watch South Africa ruined.

With the 2014 general elections looming ever closer, the ANC should be warned that there are millions of black youth like myself who will judge them harshly for what they have done as the government.

Unlike our parents and grandparents, voting for them is no

Youth less tolerant of corruption

longer an automatic choice. We honour and appreciate the past, but what we are concerned with is our country’s future and our wellbeing.

As the youth we are less tolerant of corruption, the looting of public pockets and the misuse of public resources to benefit an elite few and those closely connected to politicians.

If President Jacob Zuma continues to take voters and their votes for granted with the deluded belief that they will be in power “until Jesus comes” then he and the ANC are in for a rude awakening in 2014. Today, I challenge the youth across racial lines to rise and be counted in 2014.

I challenge them to take ownership of their future.

The writer is a 22-year-old youth who is based in Cape Town