2024 is special for South Africans because it is our election year. On May 29, millions of South Africans are expected to vote for a better government.
It is no secret that for the past 30 years, the African National Congress (ANC) has not been doing a great job of running the country.
There is a high unemployment rate, high crime rate, lack of proper infrastructure, collapsing health-care system, high corruption rate and the list goes on.
Most of Gen Z will be voting for the first time, and although there have been several campaigns encouraging people to register to vote, only 248,929 males between the ages of 18 and 19 registered, while females are currently sitting at 323,459.
February 23 is the last day for online registrations and social media influencer Kay Yarms used her platform to encourage the youth to vote.
While what she did was great because it worked, most people were disappointed that adults had to wait for an influencer to trick them to register to vote.
She posted the registration link on her Instagram story as if it was a link to her new vlog and that’s how they ended up registering.
“Guys, no man, our youth is filled with a bunch of airheads. Wdym (what do you mean) you had to wait for an influencer to tell you to register?” commented @ora_molokwane.
Another X user, @@__reefa__, said: “Your girlfriend waited for Kay Yarms to tell her to go register to vote before she did it, but she’s your girlfriend, and you love her. These are the women that are expected to head households in the near future? I'm scared.”
What’s worse is that this generation is vocal. They always complain on social media about everything wrong in this country but when it’s time to take action for change, they fold their arms.
“You live in a country that takes turns with electricity but you wait for influencers to convince you to register to vote? Lol, we are in trouble,” said @Mellow_Xxi.
Others are concerned about the youth not voting because they can register (after being tricked) and still decide not to vote.
“But will they vote? Seeing that the reality of our situation didn’t shake them enough for them to register on their own,” said @glacier_heart.
You can register to vote here. Registration closes on February 23.