Frustrated Youth May Keep Away From South African Polls

Posted by: Putera Emas on: April 12, 2004

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Frustrated youth may keep away from South African polls

By Andrew Meldrum

PRETORIA,

APRIL 11.

Ten years after South Africa turned its back on apartheid with its first fully democratic elections, the country returns to the polls this week for elections that are certain to sweep the President, Thabo Mbeki, and the African National Congress back into power.

But Mr. Mbeki’s expected victory masks a problem that is troubling many of the country’s leaders — large numbers of South Africa’s youths have turned away from politics altogether.

Days before the third non-racial elections on Wednesday, it is clear that millions of young South Africans are rejecting the dedication to political struggle that marked their parents’ generation and are opting not to vote.

“I’m not going to vote,” said Beauty Mogwe (26). “I grew up hungry and I’m still hungry. I grew up in apartheid and life is still the same.”

At her home in the crowded Hammanskraal township outside Pretoria, she added: “They say it is democracy, but we still don’t have work. We are still poor.”

Ms. Beauty is a part-time house servant while her husband works at a casino.

“He’s had that job for seven years, but has not moved up. But whites come in and in a few years start earning big salaries,” she said angrily. “My friends feel the same. Things haven’t changed for us. So why should we vote?”

The campaign has not excited the young. The ANC is assured of victory; the only question is whether it will attain the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to alter the Constitution.

The campaign has been largely free of ethnic violence, unlike the first majority rule elections in 1994 when an estimated 20,000 people died in clashes in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Affluent white youths are also disengaged, unwilling to become embroiled in the political battles that loomed over their parents’ generation.

Walton Pantland (29) is unimpressed with South Africa’s politicians, except for the blazingly outspoken Patricia de Lille of the Independent Democrats, who had a very public HIV test and challenged all other candidates to do the same. —

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