The last of the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s physical voter registration drives has finished and it seems there’s been quite the uptick in the registration of young voters, which is a good thing.

I’m a shameless proponent of voting, mostly because I have an acute appreciation of how hard that right was fought for and the cost at which it came.

I also wholeheartedly believe in a participatory democracy that allows people to express their approval of party ideals that resonate with them. Conversely, an election is an opportunity to remind those in power that they serve at the pleasure of the people, who can withhold or change their vote if the governing party does not meet citizens’ needs.

The Electoral Commission reported that there were now 4.3 million registered voters aged 20 to 29, which is 48% of those eligible to vote in that category. This, it said, showed an increase over previous years. The percentage of people aged between 18 and 49 who are registered to vote is a significant 63%.

This is quite notable, in my opinion, because it shows an increased interest in politics and is a step towards people wanting to be in charge of their future by taking part in decisions about it.

What is interesting to note is that only 33% of eligible voters aged between 50 and 79 are registered to vote, while the top political parties are all seemingly represented by a leadership in that age group. It shows just how important the vote of the younger population is.

Though I am registered and encourage others to do the same, I cannot get away from the question of who to vote for. 

I can only imagine what young people are thinking, especially because political parties that reflect and represent youth needs are practically non-existent.

Three notable organisations which are led by youthful leaders – all of them black women – have surfaced on the voter education ticket: Futurelect, led by former DA MP Lindiwe Mazibuko; the Ground Work Collective, led by former DA MPL Mbali Ntuli; and the Rivonia Circle, the think-tank behind Rise Mzansi, led by Tessa Dooms.

These organisations have been doing important and commendable work to ensure that young potential voters not only understand their right to vote, but also understand why it is important to participate in South Africa’s political system. Equally, that they understand the urgency of being part of the solution to making our country work.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Elections 2024 Knowledge Base

Read more in Daily Maverick: 2024 elections

It should be noted that the percentage of registered women voters is higher than that of men, with women representing 55.22% of the total number of registered voters.

Yet the new parties purporting to have young people at the centre of their political offerings, and which claim they support the empowerment of women, are all led by middle-aged men who have a supporting cast of younger people and women in leadership positions. This makes their claims seem suspicious.

Why, in 2024, does the political class still feel that a radical change in the composition of political leadership is unwarranted?

It’s not enough to just be a new political party – that party must reflect the electorate in order for it to find resonance and give life to that sought-after X next to its name on the voters’ ballot. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.