Youth Participation in Politics and Governance

Youth Dialogue: Youth Participation in Politics and Governance 

Join the Fort Hare Autumn School Alumni Network for their second youth month dialogue on 30 June 2021 for a dialogue on ‘Youth Participation in Politics and Governance.

In the 2019 national elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) reported a huge dip in voter turnout. This was significant, especially given that the decline was primarily among young people. Many political analysts and activists attributed the voter apathy in young people due to their despondency towards the governing party. 

Despite all this, we have seen a grouping of young people in the country, in euphoria when the Johannesburg high court ruled that individuals can contest in the national elections independently. 

The purpose of this dialogue is to provide a platform for FES fellows to discuss critically the level of political involvement among young people. Subsequently, the session will interrogate the current existing avenues that young people who want to contest public office can explore for assistance.

These questions will be answered or discussed in this dialogue.
1.    What is the main reason for political apathy among young people in South Africa?
2.    What are policies and legislations that can be implemented to curb the lack of youth representation in decision making structures?
3.    What are the contemporary “politics’ that young people face in partisan politics?
4.    Local government elections will be held in a few months. Is the country ready to have young councilors?

Date: 30 June 2021
Time: 16:30-18:00
Platform: Zoom
RSVP: agness.munthali(at)fes-southafrica.org for zoom link
RSVP deadline: 29 June 2021