Why are people not voting

Why are people not voting?

Qaqamba Matundu

Many people do not vote because they believe they don’t understand enough about the 

government, the election process or individual party policies. Others have less interest on 

politics and supporting a political party, so they believe their votes will go to waste if they 

vote so they decide not to.

“The 2021 local government elections had low voter turnout since the advent of democracy 

in South Africa. There are 26.2 million registered voters in South Africa however 42.6 million 

people are eligible to do so with over 40% of them choosing not to. IEC Chief Electoral 

Officer Sy Mamabolo said that this could be blamed on several factors including Covid-19 

pandemic” says EWN reporter Mahlakoana

South Africa is not alone in facing declining voter participation. Internationally, this is a trend 

that has been documented since the 1990s. Nonetheless, falling turnout is a critical 

barometer of the health of the past-apartheid democratic project. How people vote is a signal

of their political and ideological preferences but whether they vote at all tells us something 

about people’s approval or disproval of the institution of democracy itself, as they experience

it.

According to a report by Sowetan Live, when election time is around the corner, political 

clows more from city to village get busy asking people to vote for them, promising people 

change. They give out free food and t-shirts and promise people a better life if they vote. 

After the votes, you will never see them again. The poorest of the poor will continue crying 

for jobs, water, roads and all basic service delivery while politicians enjoy their lives. Now 

people are tired and do not vote anymore because there is no change, they still suffer, so 

they say why vote if things can’t change.

Tracey’s research finding highlight that, people in rural and urban areas across all nine 

provinces, are concerned about four major problems -unemployment, corruption, poor 

infrastructure and poor education. Young people growing increasingly frustrated with these 

issues and that continues to plague South Africa.

” Said an ISS researcher Tracey. “Although

they acknowledge the importance of voting, our findings show that young people often don’t 

identify voting as the best way to bring about change.

” 

The researcher noted that corruption is a major disincentive to voting. “The participants said 

that politics is full of corruption and self-enrichment, and they see no reason why they should

be interested in it as they gain nothing from politics and voting.

“Exposure of corruption has become detrimental towards parties because youngsters start to

think ‘what is the use of voting’ if they’re going to be given a mandate and just go with it.

” 

Said Dirk Kotze, a political science professor at University of South Africa.

“Politics doesn’t directly affect me, and I can’t directly affect it because it’s a game” said 

Lindelwa Nhleblela, a Witwatersrand student. 

When the ANC came to power to power in South Africa in 1994, the country faced a stark 

housing crisis. Large parts of the black population lived in an inadequateovercrowded and 

informal settlements. During the election campaign in 2014, the ANC promised to deliver one

million homes in the next five years. The promise made by the ANC that time seem to be 

failing and people are getting impatient because they have been weighting so the see no 

reason to vote because the ruling government can’t live to its promises.

“The challenge of lack of water and proper toilets that is experienced by many communities 

in SA and especially the poor is one of the key areas of need that require investment to 

deviate the burden of diseases and to improve the lives of those who bear the blunt of life-

threatening illness.

” Says Sowetan Live reporter Sithole. This plays a big role in the low 

participation in the municipal elections because the lack of water and proper sanitation 

amenities is a problem that besets mainly communities on the periphery of the economy.

South Africans are tired of empty promises from all parties. Most of the electorate still does 

not bother to go through the promises presented and the reality under which they live so 

that’s why there’s low vote-turnout.