No voters means no true democracy
There are an estimated 38 million South Africans aged 18 and above who are eligible to vote but roughly 24 million did not.
In South Africa's local government elections, a startling reality has emerged that few experts noticed amidst the focus on coalition building and political wrangling: a minority of voters controls the lives of the majority. This is not a repeat of apartheid's past, despite some claims to the contrary. The election results demonstrate that just 29.2 million out of an estimated 38 million eligible voters registered to vote, leaving 25% of eligible voters opting out of the democratic process from the start.
Even among those who registered, voter turnout was only 52%, meaning that only 14.9 million out of 29.2 million actually cast their ballots. While the Electoral Commission of South Africa praised this turnout increase compared to the 2012 election, the situation remains troubling. With 52% of South Africans having the power to decide the future of the other 48%, the nation is far from achieving true democracy.
The reasons behind this low voter participation are unclear, but it could be due to ignorance or disillusionment. For genuine democracy to prevail, more South Africans must take part in the political process.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
