LISTEN | Fed up youth use their vote to punish the ANC

The common sentiment among young voters at the John Orr Technical High School voting centre in Milpark, Johannesburg, is that the governing party must dip below 50% for it to deliver on its promises.

These voters who said they voted against the ANC shared their reasons.

Listen to their cries:

Rethabile Nkoko, 24

Said this should have been her second vote but she was voting for the first time because in 2019 she thought voting would not affect her.

She graduated in 2022 (graphic design), received an internship but has not been able to find a job. Her older sister graduated in 2017 but is also unemployed. She complained about the cost of living and service delivery. Nkoko said it's time to give another party a chance.

Thabang Moloisi, 24

“Service delivery and our standard of living have gone down. I want to see change. They’ve had 30 years to do something but only a few things improved.

“I am hoping that seeing their percentage of votes change will force them to pull up their socks. I don’t want to say it is only corruption because sometimes they do deliver.”

This is his third year working and he said most people don’t have this benefit.

Lethukuthula Simelane

“Corruption is out of control. I want it to change.”

He is in his fourth and final year of HR studies at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Sifiso Sithole 

“I am voting for economic freedom because they voted for freedom (political) in 1994 and we must give young people a chance.”

He is doing his third year of his LLB degree at UJ.

Thobeka Nkosi, 32

Said she believes her vote can make an impact.

“I am working on contract. I am hoping the party that governs will make us permanent.”

Bongani Sekgala 

The engineering student at Wits University said it is time for change.

“These yellow parties playing with us, we need change in this country. We want to see our country going forward.”

He complained about huge corruption in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and unemployment.

“This is no longer the ANC of Solomon Mahlangu, of Oliver Tambo or Peter Mokaba. The ANC we see now is corrupt to the core. We need something new.”

Muzi Zimu, 23

Complained about inequality, water, electricity, safety and education challenges.

“We are voting from the premise of 'Mandela set us free'. He did not set us free. He might have put us at a certain place but that is not freedom.”