Representative democracy will not survive without the people
As millions of South Africans withdraw from the ballot box, perhaps the question is not why people are abandoning democracy, but why our political system has abandoned the promise that the people shall govern.
As South Africa approaches local government elections, politicians are promising solutions to long-standing issues, yet voter turnout has been declining. In 2016, 58% of registered voters participated, descending to 45.86% in 2021. In the 2024 national elections, turnout was 58.64%, but only around 41% of eligible citizens voted.
This trend suggests a crisis in electoral participation, not just voter apathy. South Africans may be losing faith in a political system that gives them little influence over decisions made in their name. Representative democracy is becoming disconnected from the popular power it was founded on. The struggle against apartheid sought to empower ordinary people, but instead, communities have become reduced to voters and beneficiaries.
The Constitution requires local government to involve communities, yet power has concentrated in political parties and bureaucracies. The massacre at Marikana exposed the state's willingness to use lethal force against workers, betraying the ideals of democracy sacrificed by previous generations. This disconnect between the people and their representatives is a crisis that threatens the survival of representative democracy.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
