According to the Department of Statistics, 35% of South Africa's population, or 20.9 million people, are young people (18-34 years old). However, statistics from the South African Electoral Commission show that only 11.7 million voters are registered on the voter rolls for this group.Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images
a■ As South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy, a new report from Flux Trends finds that Gen Z is finding it difficult to connect with activism and the political space.
Trend Analyst Group, in collaboration with youth agency Student Village, conducted a survey of 30 young people and asked them 30 questions to commemorate the 30th anniversary of democracy.
The 30/30/30 project report delves into the ideas that drive South Africa's Gen Z attitudes towards the future of democracy and their place in it: as citizens, consumers, workers and individuals. Ta.
Researcher Bronwyn Williams said: “This report provides a deep perspective and nuanced understanding of what young people believe is important to them ahead of the election.” Ta.
According to the report, the majority of young people either refused to register to vote because they believed it was pointless, or were considering which party to vote for.
“There are currently no political parties that appeal to this demographic, and most young people have little faith that politics can bring about dramatic changes in everyday behavior,” Williams said.
When visiting universities in Johannesburg, most young people said: email and guardian They said they felt that the majority of political parties were not prioritizing the interests of young people.
“Most young people follow aesthetics and trends when making decisions, but young people like me who actually go and do research realize that most of these political parties are not about us, but about their own vendettas and winning streaks. “I find that the emphasis on “is very problematic,'' said Nolwaj Mahlangu, 23, a master's student at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Flux Trends research warns that because young people are undecided about their vote, they may fall into a pattern of voting for parties associated with generational democracy.
“This generation has a strong presence and can be a catalyst for change, but now we see them supporting the same political parties and maintaining their daily lives. This is a sign that our society is broken. ,” Williams said.
Thirty years after South Africa's first democratic elections were held, with young people leading the movement for a free and equal society, the 30/30/30 report found that Generation Z is struggling with “happiness versus reality.” It turns out that we are facing an equation.
“Thirty years ago, expectations were higher. They needed to make a change. But today's young people are more cynical and have lower expectations, so it's easier to live up to expectations and be satisfied with what they receive.” “It seems like there are,” Williams said.
Generation Z activity group so we vote believe that changes in young people's perceptions of elections are due to the quality of leadership.
“There was no complexity there. [first democratic] Because the choice was so clear, and also because the quality of leadership available at the time gave people a sense that South Africa's best days were ahead. There is no obvious choice that is inherently evil because the situation we live in today is so complex that we don't know who we believe,” said Otsile Nkadimen, director of So We Vote.
Mr Williams warned that unless young people become active citizens, South Africa could face a crisis similar to China.
After the Chinese government introduced the one-child policy, which was abolished in 2016 and replaced with a three-child limit, China faced economic decline.
Reacting, the 19-year-old University of Johannesburg student said he did not think South Africa would face such a problem because “it's not the numbers that matter to us, it's the knowledge of the electorate”.
According to the Department of Statistics, 35% of South Africa's population, or 20.9 million people, are young people (18-34 years old). However, statistics from the South African Electoral Commission (IEC) show that only 11.7 million voters are registered in this group.
Sai Mamabolo, IEC Chief Electoral Officer, said: “The introduction of the online self-service voter registration scheme has helped increase registration rates not only among young domestic voters, but also among expatriates.” He said this at a media briefing in Pretoria in March.
This came after the IEC conducted its second mass voter registration drive in February and opened 23,296 polling stations across the country to increase voter turnout. The first voter registration weekend he held in November. According to the IEC, the number of voters was 27.79 million, the highest in 1994.
