Durban — A new social movement, Rise Mzansi, has called on the country’s youth to take the future into their hands by voting for the government of their choice in the next year’s general elections.
The movement will drive a voter registration campaign in uMlazi on Friday through a seminar kind of event where the movement’s volunteers will assist youth in registering online. The event will take place at the uMlazi D section community hall between 10 am and 3 pm in the afternoon.
Speaking to the Daily News on Wednesday, Nonkululeko Hlongwane-Mhlongo, who is the head of the movement, said they are concerned about voter apathy among the country’s youth which has led to a dramatic drop in turnout in the previous elections.
Hlongwane-Mhlongo said youth are the future leaders of any country, so it is important that they lead in shaping the country’s political landscape by choosing their government, which will ensure that it addresses their needs.
She said the event was being organised with civil society organisations based in uMlazi, and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials and staff will also attend to drive voter registration together with her organisation.
Apart from registering the youth, she said her organisation would also explain the importance of voting and choosing the government, adding that voting assists the authorities in planning service delivery and allocating the budget since the number of people living in the particular was known.
“With voter turnout as low as 45,86% in 2021, and voter registration below 20% for eligible voters aged between 18-35 years, interventions are necessary to bolster registrations in the lead up to 2024. Ultimately, our democracy and its continued legitimacy require the buy-in of all citizens, and where there are gaps, we need to ensure that we find ways to surface a plethora of voices in order to give effect to citizen-centred policy reform – the vote is, through just one part of the equation, an integral part of the work to restore trust and to encourage transparency and accountability going forward.
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