Youth, voting and partisanship : South Africa’s 2019 general election in Kamhlushwa, Mpumalanga

Abstract: It is of global knowledge and concern that voter turnout in elections among young people is on the decline, hence the richness of literature around the topic. This study considers the opposite by asking why young people vote in elections? Secondly, rather than focusing on urban youth's views, the study provides a case study of young people (18-34 years) in a rural area (KaMhlushwa). Due to a shortage of research on this topic concerning the South African context, some international texts are deployed to offer explanations where necessary. Findings are drawn from two sources. The first is a questionnaire completed by voters in the May 2019 General Election. The main findings revealed that young people voted because of a sense of responsibility and for economic improvement. Little variation was demonstrated compared to other groups (urban young people and rural and urban older people). The main exceptions, however, were that KaMhlushwa’s youth demonstrated little interest in land redistribution and party leaders. The second part of the findings emanate from semi-structured interviews with 18 youths, all of whom had completed the questionnaire. Questions for interviews were drawn from the survey findings. This part of the study reveals that the young people had partisan motives in their responses to the survey, mostly towards the ANC. Rather than voting for high ideals, they were also, or, in particular, casting their ballot to promote the success of the ANC and EFF (for the few EFF partisans). The bases of the partisanship for both parties were, however, different. While ANC supporter’s partisanship was derived from historical legacy, fear, uncertainty and resistance, amongst others, EFF partisanship was derived from party identification, resistance towards the DA, and expectations of land redistribution. The overall conclusion made in this study is that increasing young people’s participation requires increased party identification and attachment to particular parties, i.e., partisanship, and to a setting where there is a serious competition between parties.M.A. (Communication Studies