Deserted: Kliptown youth snubs elections
The Kliptown Community Centre looked more like an abandoned building than a voting registration centre on Saturday and Sunday.
A day that promised much delivered too little. The Kliptown Community Centre looked more like an abandoned building than a voting registration centre on Saturday and Sunday.
A relatively low turnout saw less than 300 people make their way to the centre to register to vote for the upcoming local government elections. Out of those who came, once again, the elderly led the numbers while the younger generation, particularly first time voters were surprisingly low.
21-year-old Tenda Mokwena said he personally did not see the point of registering considering the township’s current situation.
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“I don’t think it will make much a difference. People have been doing it (voting) for years and things are still bad, maybe even worse. That is why I decided not to do it,” he said.
Andile Ncikazi who works with several youth organisations in Kliptown said the lack of interest may be a sign of the times.
“Look, I think the timing of the elections was wrong. I think they should have postponed. These elections come at a time where people are struggling, barely getting by. The last thing on their mind is who they should or should not vote for. The youth are unemployed and wondering where their next meal will come from. The country is in a pandemic, so for may here, the voting issue just comes at the wrong time where they are worried about other things,” he said.
Out of the few that did turn up was Karabelo Fosa.
“I’m quite fortunate to have a friend, Hloni, who often encourages us to be the changes we want to see. If you don’t vote then you can’t change anything. I understand not everyone has someone like that in their life who will be reminding them of the importance of voting. So maybe that is why many young people did not come out today,” the 22-year-old said.
The 2021 Local Government Elections are set to be held nationwide on November 1, later this year.
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