The democratic participatory experiences of black youth in the City of Johannesburg
Date
2020
Authors
Ntshwanti, Thandile
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the response of youth to government public participation platforms and approaches using the youth in the City of Johannesburg as a case study. Local government was chosen as the focus of the study because of its proximity to citizens. The study explored the current approaches used in the City of Johannesburg, the general views on youth participation, the response by youth to current public participation approaches used by the city and how youth participation can be improved. The study used a qualitative research approach. A combination of data collection tools was used. These were observations, document analysis, interviews and focus groups. The findings of the study show that there are various modes and approaches that the city uses to engage with the community of the City of Johannesburg. These include community meetings, suggestion boxes at municipal offices, izimbizo public meetings for discussion of specific issues and official council and ward committee meetings. While the significance of youth participation is acknowledged and expressed in various official documents, the tangible experiences by the youth indicate the opposite. In paper there are youth focused structures, but practically, they are not adequately utilised. Because youth participation is guided by the same rules and principles as general public participation with no specified allowance made for the participation of youth, the youth is not responding positively and as such youth participation is low. That is not to say that the youth has no interest in becoming active citizens, engaging with government. In fact the opposite is true. They are cognisant of their social, political and economic environment, associated challenges and their role as youth in all of it. They are not as cynical and disinterested. There are numerous other reasons why youth participation in broader participation spaces and platforms is low. One reason is that the mainstream approaches used are found to be alienating by the youth. Further, the knowledge of the different ways the youth can engage officials at local government on various issues is limited. Access to information required to participate confidently in these meetings is not easy to access
Description
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in 50% requirement for the Degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and development Management), 2020