Youth protest and the 2014 national elections: The case of Zamdela Sasolberg

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dc.citation.doi10.20940/JAE/2017/V16I2A6en_ZA
dc.citation.epage149en_ZA
dc.citation.issue2en_ZA
dc.citation.spage129en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorRampedi, Mahlatse
dc.date.accessioned2019-06-12T12:54:05Z
dc.date.available2019-06-12T12:54:05Z
dc.date.issued2017-10
dc.description.abstractThere is a general perception that youth are apathetic to local politics and national elections. At the same time, young people are often at the forefront of protest. Both electoral politics and protest are forms of political participation; however, the relationship between the two is under-explored. In Zamdela, young people were politicised by two events: the January 2013 protest, and the formation of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in mid-2014. In addition, many youth are simply conflicted by the lack of service delivery by the ruling party and the lack of viable alternatives in elections. Using qualitative data, this article traces and thematically analyses the political attitudes of youth in Zamdela between the demarcation protest of January 2013 and the May 2014 national elections. Quantitatively, the article provides practical data describing the way in which young people engaged with the 2014 national elections, given the fluctuating perspectives throughout 2013 and 2014. Against this background the article analyses the notion of youth apathy towards politics and elections, as well as Booysen’s (2007) ‘ballot and the brick’ analysis of political engagement, protest and elections. The article demonstrates that a high proportion of young people are politically aware, participated in the protest, voted in elections, and evinced an increased likelihood of voting for parties other than the ANC.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianCW2019en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDHETen_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1609-4700
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/27406
dc.journal.linkhttps://www.eisa.org.za/jae.phpen_ZA
dc.journal.titleJournal of African electionsen_ZA
dc.journal.volume16en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherElectoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectYouth - South Africa - Political activityen_ZA
dc.subjectPolitical participation - South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth Africa - Politics and government - 21st centuryen_ZA
dc.subjectElections - South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectAfrican National Congressen_ZA
dc.subjectEconomic Freedom Fightersen_ZA
dc.titleYouth protest and the 2014 national elections: The case of Zamdela Sasolbergen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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