Voter silence: The dilemma of democracy
By threestreamsmedia
Almost 13.7 million voters did not register to vote on 29 May 2024. This includes many young people who mainly feel their vote will not make a difference. And although the voter role has grown, the number of people who vote has been declining for quite some time, Business Tech reported.
“Students feel that their voices are not heard and that regardless of who they vote for, their needs and concerns are often neglected.” This is how Bulelani Mxwera, the South African Students Congress (SASCO) chairperson at the North-West University (NWU) Vanderbijlpark campus explained the reasons why most students do not participate in the voting elections.
Yikumba Andreas, the chairperson of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at the North-West University said it is demotivating that eligible young voters do not take part in the electoral process.
In the video below, students on the Potchefstroom campus talked to 3SM about why they did or did not register to vote on 29 May 2024.
On-campus perspectives
The number of citizens in South Africa opting out of the democratic process during the current election season raises questions about voter engagement, political disillusionment, and the influence of efforts to encourage participation in the country’s electoral system. A common sentiment prevails among students, namely a sense of disillusionment with political institutions and parties plays a significant role, Mxwera said.
Andreas emphasised the disconnect between political rhetoric and tangible change. He said, “Students want to see concrete actions addressing issues such as access to quality education, employment opportunities, and affordable housing. When politicians fail to deliver on their promises, voters inevitably lose interest.”
Reasons for non-participation
There are several reasons behind the decrease in eligible voter turnout. Feelings of estrangement from the political process are frequently the result of economic disenfranchisement, which is especially common in marginalised communities. The electoral system’s credibility is further damaged by a lack of faith in political institutions brought on by scandals involving corruption and a sense of inefficiency, Creamer Media reported.
Faith Mohoto, a first-year student in financial accounting on the Potchefstroom campus of the NWU said she did not register to vote because “even if I register, the party that I will vote for won’t even make a change. Once they are in power, they forget the promises they have made to us”.
Sibongile Mayi, a second-year in physiology and biochemistry, agrees. “I feel like I have no need to vote because even if I vote, there’s nothing that is going to change. Our government is still going to be the same. I feel like it doesn’t care about students because we had to fight to get this space in varsity and they were not there for us, and it’s also corrupted.”
Kareen Burger, a BA in Communication third-year student shared a different perspective. “I feel like I wouldn’t be the one to make a change. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions and if I vote for this person or that person, I’m not going to make a change because there’s already so many things going around it.” Her friend, Jason Coetzee, a BSc in IT third-year mentioned that he completely forgot to register for the upcoming elections, because “life happened and things got extremely busy”.
Campus leaders such as Andreas emphasise the significance of taking proactive steps to increase voter engagement to address this concerning trend. “Reviving democratic participation requires action on the part of groups like voter registration drives, civic rights and responsibilities education campaigns, and student-political dialogue forums,” he said.
By Lesedi Jonga and Malebo Malatji