Voter apathy and uncertainty amongst students is a common theme on the Stellenbosch campus as the national election approaches. Students and student representatives struggle to find common ground when it comes to addressing student issues.
Voter registration for the general election this year officially closed on 26 February 2019, after president Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation declaring that the national elections will be held on the 8th of May.
During the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of student representatives at universities, calling for students to resolve issues facing them amid violent protest action at universities over funding.
A recent survey by Afrobarometer shows that more than half of South Africans feel detached from a political party, highlighting the importance for political parties to seek support from disillusioned students who are still deciding who to vote for.
Third-year Management Sciences student, Jamie, who did not want to disclose his surname says, “My belief is that unemployment is one of the largest issues in South Africa. I would like to see better changes in policies that would drive future job creation”.
However, he remained sceptical expressing that “nothing will change. Tax will increase and the unemployment rate will either remain constant or continue to rise”.
DA poster in Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Dominique Jeftha
Second-year student in Visual Communication and Design, Jordy Dreyer, is also on the fence about who to support in the upcoming elections. Gender-based violence, corruption and service delivery are issues on top of Dreyer’s list that she wants to see addressed in the future.
Youth empowerment and better education opportunities are issues on Accounting student, Yumi Gugwana’s mind, commenting that she would like to see “education and opportunities for the youth, not just in specific areas but in the most rural of areas”.
To cut through the reservations harboured by some of the Stellenbosch students, Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson and final year Law student at the university, Carli Van Wyk advises that “although you’re not sure who to vote for, the most important thing is to vote”.
Van Wyk elaborates on this point, stating that “voting is a key responsibility on all citizens, and it is our civil duty to take part in elections”. She further explains that the responsibility is not only about marking your X on the ballot paper, but also “reading the manifestos and reading up in the news who you believe will be the best party to represent you”.
EFF student command convener, Xolane Smit, “engaging with students, is the top priority”. PHOTO: Dominique Jeftha
In March, last year, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) kicked off its voter registration campaign for 2019.
The EFF student command (EFFSC) convener at Stellenbosch University, Xolane Smit, says that the EFFSC’s next plan of action is to build on that and “go to residences, lecture halls if [they] are given the platform to explain to students what the EFF is about”.
The EFFSC has also been invited to partake in a debate that will occur two weeks before the Election Day. Informing students about their manifesto is their top priority.
Athini Mzayiya, vice-chairperson of South African Students Congress (SASCO) at Stellenbosch University, explained that SASCO is an affiliate of the ANC and does not necessarily push its agenda, as such they are more focused on student issues. “As registered students, SASCO prioritises, student issues,” says Athini.
The plan of action for SASCO in terms of campaigning is dependent on their Branch Executive Committee (BEC). For now, however, they have been engaging with students through their weekly SASCO Friday’s initiative on the Rooiplein. Mzayiya adds that they are trying to make students more politically aware through discussions with students on the issues or grievances they face.
“Most students do not know what DASO, EFFSC and SASCO are” says Yanga Keva, Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (DASO) vice-chairperson. PHOTO: Dominique Jeftha
The Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (DASO’s) registration drive started in October 2018 and they have been setting up information stands/tables either on the Rooiplein or at Kruiskerk.
As an attempt to help more students register, they took all the necessary information of those who had not yet been registered and informed the IEC to come to campus- the IEC needs at least 25 unregistered people to come to campus and register those people.
“You would be surprised that a lot of people don’t know what the national elections is, it is frightening,” says Yanga Keva, deputy chairperson of DASO Stellenbosch.
Follow these steps to familiarise yourself with the voting process (CLICK TO VIEW FULL SIZE). INFOGRAPHIC: Catherine Del Monte
Keva says that in the university environment there is a general sense of “voter apathy”. He says that “what we are trying to do is to cultivate an environment where people are willing to listen to DASO’s message as a political organisation.”
Their next step is to have a DASO week, in mid- March, where prominent DA politicians from parliament and municipalities will come and speak to students, in so doing bringing students and politicians together to have critical discussions on issues such as higher education, women’s safety and rape-culture on campus: “Student centered events to focus on student issues”.
All three organisations agree that voter apathy is one of their main challenges when engaging with students, especially when changes in the political climate of South Africa have left many pondering where to place their “X” on the 8th of May.
– Catherine Del Monte and Dominique Jeftha