Saadiq Daniels in Geneva calling for the Constitution to be amended. Picture: Supplied
Calls for the voting age to be lowered to 16 have been reignited in the country.
Currently, the Constitution allows people aged 18 and above to vote. At 16, one can only register to vote. Last week in Geneva, Saadiq Daniels, from the Western Cape Commissioner for Children told the United Nations that there must be a push for the South African Constitution to be amended and allow children from 16 years old to vote.
“Children’s civil and political rights are undermined in South Africa because children do not have a ‘voice’ in our country,” he said.
“Children must be listened to. Their voices must count. But the politicians do not respect children as active citizens. The president of our country once told me personally children must focus on schoolwork, not politics. Yet, when he was a child, children were deeply involved in bringing about political change.”
South African youth that lived under the oppressive system of apartheid is often praised to have fought for the freedom enjoyed by many today. Back then, people joined the movements against apartheid at a young age.
The proposal to lower the voting age in the country is not new. The late former president Nelson Mandela, in an interview with Time magazine, proposed that the voting age be lowered to 14.
In the United States of America, the National Youth Rights Association has for over two decades lobbying for the voting age to be lowered.
They claim young people are directly affected by a range of policies concerning education, criminal justice, government spending, and the environment. They further say that young people contribute to communities and pay taxes.
ANC Youth League spokesperson in the province Mesuli Kama also believes that the country would benefit through increased voter registration and turnout.
“South Africa’s young population is dominated by youths and it is good that even those younger than 16 are coming out strong to challenge the government to give them more responsibilities.
“Moreover, the decision to lower the voting age shouldn’t be rushed. Young people should be conscientised and taught about politics and the importance of voting at schools.”
DA Youth spokesperson Lindokuhle Sixabayi said they are also open to this suggestion being looked into.
“As the DA Youth, we respect the rights of children and believe that they should be active citizens. This is evident in our DA-led Western Government, which is the first province to appoint a Children’s Commissioner. However, over the years, we have seen how voter apathy has decreased drastically, and we think that we should focus on addressing this issue which is a threat to our hard-earned democracy.
“So before we start calling for other electoral reforms, we should be asking ourselves why are South Africans, in particular young people, are not coming out to vote.”
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