Encouraging People to Use Their Vote
Sean Hawkey
As South Africa completes a decade of democracy, the headlines of a Cape Town newspaper read: “98% of whites get a job, 3% of blacks”. The social divisions and economic structures of apartheid haven’t disappeared. And, because such inequalities have not been changed by a decade of democracy, because black people are still poor, there is widespread disenchantment with the democratic process. Informing poor people about the importance of using their vote, especially younger people, is an uphill struggle.
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Rejané Claasen, independent producer with Radio Democracy, South Africa
Rejané Claasen, a programme producer for Democracy Radio has her work cut out using community radios to encourage people to register to vote. “Though getting the vote was of course a great achievement in itself” she says, “ten years on, the power of democracy to change what is important to people is being questioned. An eighteen year old was eight when blacks won the vote and doesn’t necessarily even appreciate the historical significance of using their vote. Many people are so disillusioned they are not even bothering to register to vote.”
“Exactly how has democracy benefited the poor?” Asks Claasen , “People say ‘What’s the point in voting if it won’t take us out of poverty?’ People question if politicians even have the power to make the changes that people need?”
Though there have been some successes in education, substantial rises in literacy for example, in the provision of health and other basic services, and the process of improving the asset base of the poor has begun with land and housing tenure being improved, albeit at a frustratingly slow pace, Claasen says “the poor are still poor, and maybe even poorer than they were 10 years ago. Above all, poor people are desperate for jobs and there doesn’t seem to be a political party that can offer jobs.”
Though statistically there has been some economic growth this has happened without the creation of jobs, so the benefit of this hasn’t been felt. There is further disillusionment with the government over their denial of HIV/AIDS and their reluctance to engage with the issues of prevention and treatment. And there is the glaring issue of continuing inequality,
To combat the growing disenfranchisement with democracy on a national level democracy radio works at informing people about local democracy, local issues and how people can be involved. Claasen, producing radio programmes for community radios across the country says that linking democracy on a local level with current issues that are of importance to people’s everyday lives might be the best way of keeping democracy alive.
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