In April 2023, independent political and social commentator Siyabonga Hadebe wrote a piece about the fall of SA from grace after 1994.
This opinion stems from engagements with Hadebe regarding this apparent phenomenon. While we can look at the state of townships in terms of alcohol prevalence and crime rate, the alarming decline of social and political consciousness in townships speaks volumes.
Elections are upon us and it is clear as day that the youth of today are somewhat alienated from today’s politics. One of the biggest challenges currently is motivating young people to vote.
According to the Electoral Commission of SA of the 27,6-million registered voters only about five-million are between the ages of 18-30. This is easily surpassed by the registered voters between 30-39 at about 6,6-million. Additionally, ages 40-49 also have more registered voters at approximately 5,8-million. Now these are just numbers for party politics. The issue is much broader.
Since the dawn of democracy, the revolutionary spirit of political consciousness has slowly decayed in townships. Several factors can be attributed to this decline.
Firstly, the material conditions in many townships have regressed to near-desperate measures for many. Secondly, the overall political theatre in SA inspires little hope in young people.
Thirdly, youth mobilisation has taken a backseat as many of us have assimilated into neoliberal political aesthetics that individualise social struggles, what Marxists would define as false class consciousness.
Gone are the days when young people would engage in robust discussions over the social realities and visibility of their communities.
What we find now is a culture of instant gratification pushed by social media where lip service is rendered without any accompanying action. There is an important usage of social media as evident in its role during the #MustFall movements that garnered national and international attention through the #hashtag trend on X. However, even with the technology at our disposal, the necessary conversations are not happening.
It appears we as young people have become far too comfortable with the status quo and have resigned ourselves to accept the shortcomings of leadership. As a consequence, there is a clear vacuum within youth activism which has enabled a growing trend of anti-intellectualism.
As a social critic, this slump in youth activism worries me. There is an inadequate number of organic intellectuals in youth activism today. How do we complain about the ages of leaders when it appears that we ourselves are not ready to replace the current generation?
This issue is not just about mainstream politics but also grassroots movements, besides a few examples like the Thembelihle Crisis Committee in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, and Abahlali Basemjondolo – Durban, where are the young leaders challenging the structures?
Where are the young people to dismantle the status quo in mainstream politics? These are important questions to grapple with and they speak to the decay of township social activism and political consciousness.
There is an argument to make that current socioeconomic conditions hinder the ability of young people to mobilise as youth unemployment soars, thus survival is the primary objective for many young people. However, these very same material conditions can and should be used as fuel to push social and political awareness in township communities.
In the same way, that the youth of the 1970s and 80s defied a tyrannical regime; the youth of the 2010s and 2020s should carve their legacies. We cannot let history judge us as the youth that failed to capitalise on the capitulation of the political structures. We need to be ready to seize control over our destiny in where this country needs to go. Currently, this ship is sinking like the Titanic, from grassroots level to mainstream activism.
We are failing ourselves ideologically by not engaging with the social realities of our times. High youth unemployment; unequal access to education and healthcare; income inequality; and wealth inequality – all these are contributing factors to the increased social inequality in SA.
No miracle will be in grace, rather we need to act and manoeuvre our way into prominence again. This goes beyond our generation; we need to think of those who come after us. What are we going to leave behind for them? The decline in youth activism has ripple effects that can go on to affect future generations. As such, there is an urgent need to use the tools at our disposal to stake a claim for our future and our children’s futures.
This is in no way an attack on the youth, but it is the voice of a fellow young person concerned about our acceptance of the status quo and structural failures that continue to hold us back nearly 30 years after democracy.
It is a call to action for the youth to make themselves visible and take up space. Now will the youth of today please stand up.
- Jwara is an MA Sociology candidate at the University of Johannesburg
FUZILE JWARA | Youth of today need to revive political consciousness and fight for their future
Election season reveals young people’s lack of participation in politics, voting
In April 2023, independent political and social commentator Siyabonga Hadebe wrote a piece about the fall of SA from grace after 1994.
This opinion stems from engagements with Hadebe regarding this apparent phenomenon. While we can look at the state of townships in terms of alcohol prevalence and crime rate, the alarming decline of social and political consciousness in townships speaks volumes.
Elections are upon us and it is clear as day that the youth of today are somewhat alienated from today’s politics. One of the biggest challenges currently is motivating young people to vote.
According to the Electoral Commission of SA of the 27,6-million registered voters only about five-million are between the ages of 18-30. This is easily surpassed by the registered voters between 30-39 at about 6,6-million. Additionally, ages 40-49 also have more registered voters at approximately 5,8-million. Now these are just numbers for party politics. The issue is much broader.
Since the dawn of democracy, the revolutionary spirit of political consciousness has slowly decayed in townships. Several factors can be attributed to this decline.
Firstly, the material conditions in many townships have regressed to near-desperate measures for many. Secondly, the overall political theatre in SA inspires little hope in young people.
Thirdly, youth mobilisation has taken a backseat as many of us have assimilated into neoliberal political aesthetics that individualise social struggles, what Marxists would define as false class consciousness.
Gone are the days when young people would engage in robust discussions over the social realities and visibility of their communities.
What we find now is a culture of instant gratification pushed by social media where lip service is rendered without any accompanying action. There is an important usage of social media as evident in its role during the #MustFall movements that garnered national and international attention through the #hashtag trend on X. However, even with the technology at our disposal, the necessary conversations are not happening.
It appears we as young people have become far too comfortable with the status quo and have resigned ourselves to accept the shortcomings of leadership. As a consequence, there is a clear vacuum within youth activism which has enabled a growing trend of anti-intellectualism.
As a social critic, this slump in youth activism worries me. There is an inadequate number of organic intellectuals in youth activism today. How do we complain about the ages of leaders when it appears that we ourselves are not ready to replace the current generation?
This issue is not just about mainstream politics but also grassroots movements, besides a few examples like the Thembelihle Crisis Committee in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, and Abahlali Basemjondolo – Durban, where are the young leaders challenging the structures?
Where are the young people to dismantle the status quo in mainstream politics? These are important questions to grapple with and they speak to the decay of township social activism and political consciousness.
There is an argument to make that current socioeconomic conditions hinder the ability of young people to mobilise as youth unemployment soars, thus survival is the primary objective for many young people. However, these very same material conditions can and should be used as fuel to push social and political awareness in township communities.
In the same way, that the youth of the 1970s and 80s defied a tyrannical regime; the youth of the 2010s and 2020s should carve their legacies. We cannot let history judge us as the youth that failed to capitalise on the capitulation of the political structures. We need to be ready to seize control over our destiny in where this country needs to go. Currently, this ship is sinking like the Titanic, from grassroots level to mainstream activism.
We are failing ourselves ideologically by not engaging with the social realities of our times. High youth unemployment; unequal access to education and healthcare; income inequality; and wealth inequality – all these are contributing factors to the increased social inequality in SA.
No miracle will be in grace, rather we need to act and manoeuvre our way into prominence again. This goes beyond our generation; we need to think of those who come after us. What are we going to leave behind for them? The decline in youth activism has ripple effects that can go on to affect future generations. As such, there is an urgent need to use the tools at our disposal to stake a claim for our future and our children’s futures.
This is in no way an attack on the youth, but it is the voice of a fellow young person concerned about our acceptance of the status quo and structural failures that continue to hold us back nearly 30 years after democracy.
It is a call to action for the youth to make themselves visible and take up space. Now will the youth of today please stand up.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos