MBASA MVENENE | South Africa’s youth must turn protest solidarity into ballot power

South Africa’s young people face a double political failure: too many do not vote, while some who do vote choose based on party loyalty, identity or election day spectacle rather than their material interests. Ahead of thelocal government electionson November 4, the argument should therefore be clear: young people must vote, vote according to evidence and issues, and increasingly contest political power themselves. This is not a small constituency.

Young people aged 15-34 make up nearly one-third of South Africa’s population and almost half the working-age population. Their official unemployment rate stood at 45.8% in the first quarter of 2026. Many remain jobless even after obtaining qualifications while living amid rising costs, political corruption, weak public institutions and unreliable access to water, electricity and the internet.

Across Africa and beyond, youth numbers have repeatedly shown their force outside formal politics. Young people drove Kenya’s 2024 protests that forced the withdrawal of the finance bill. Student-led protests helped end Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh in 2024, and Madagascar’s Gen Z removed president Andry Rajoelina in 2025.

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In India, sustained youth protests over exam leaks recently resulted in the resignation of the education minister. South Africa has its own examples in #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall. These movements demonstrate courage and organisational power, but protest victories are often temporary unless they are converted into institutional power.

A government may withdraw a bill, remove a minister or make promises while the political system that produced the crisis remains intact. Young South Africans must therefore convert protest solidarity into ballot power. There is no gain in boycotting an election.

Staying away does not nullify the result; it merely allows others to choosemunicipal governmentson your behalf. Local government is where the rubber hits the road. It determines whether refuse is collected, potholes are repaired, streetlights work, water infrastructure is maintained and municipal finances are managed honestly.

Participation alone is not enough. Young people must also vote as citizens. Professor PLO Lumumba provocatively describes three types of participants in African politics: the idiot, the tribalist and the citizen. The idiot does not participate but expects conditions to change magically.

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