Durban — They say age is just a number, but in South African politics – and especially in the ruling party – the term generational mix is often used to indicate that a party has young and old candidates within its ranks. Nelson Mandela became the president of the country at 75 and if Jacob Zuma was a candidate in this week’s elections, he would have been one of the oldest at 82.
At least 40 countries around the world are holding national elections this year and many of them, including South Africa, have leaders vying for the top job even though they are long past the age of retirement.
The US leads the pack, with incumbent leader Joe Biden vying for another term at the age of 81. Controversial businessman Donald Trump is hoping to make a comeback in the White House at the age of 77.
India’s President Narendra Modi is 73. China’s Xi Jinping is 70. Africa, known for its “presidents for life”, has the oldest world leader in President Paul Biya from Cameroon, 91, while Burkina Faso has the youngest president, Ibrahim Traoré, aged 36.
In South Africa, the young and old have registered as candidates hoping to bring positive change to the country.
According to the candidate lists on the website of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, some are as young as 18, which means they will also be voting for the first time, while others are in their 80s.
And some of the well-known political stalwarts are getting on in years.
These septuagenarians include the ANC’s Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, GOOD leader Patricia de Lille, 73, African Movement Congress leader Roy Moodley, 70, Police Minister Bheki Cele, 72, and the African Christian Democratic Party’s leader, Kenneth Meshoe, 70.
One of the youngest candidates is ActionSA’s Reuben Jacques Coetzer, who is 21. He is a law student at the North-West University. According to the party’s Instagram page, Coetzer is the co-founder of Project Youth South Africa, an NGO which educates the youth about the importance of voting. He is also the national head of voter education for the ActionSA Youth Forum.
Another 21-year-old is Aloisha Anastacia Alexander from #Hope4SA. The Al Jama-ah Party’s youngest candidate is Ramla Ruwa, 20. In the Northern Cape, the Freedom Front Plus has several young candidates, including Liza van den Berg, who is 19.
The Referendum Party has Robert Christian King, aged 20. King describes himself as “a political activist that campaigns for Cape independence and other forms of self-determination in South Africa”.
Sunday Tribune