A GOVERNMENT THAT SEES ALL BUT HEARS NOTHING

One of the clearest truths about democracy is that it rarely dies or collapses overnight, it fades, quietly and legally, through small compromises that differ from constitutional norms. This happens until undemocratic practices become so routine that they’re mistaken for normal. Before long, what was once unthinkable becomes the norm. And perhaps the most troubling outcome about this is building a generation of young people growing uncertain about what a healthy democracy needs to look like. In South Africa, this unease is not paranoia, it’s a creeping reality. While wrapped in the language of building a better nation, the government seems increasingly committed to mastering the bureaucratic art of doing nothing, loudly. 

Just about a year ago, with flair, President Cyril Ramaphosa painted vivid scenes of what seemed like a picture of young South Africans rising from the shackles of joblessness through Presidential Youth Employment Intervention pilots, tech-forward work readiness programmes, and of course, scaling up employment support and investments. He spoke of ‘preparing the youth for the future of work’, as if it was going to be one of the government's priorities. He even went so far as to describe and appreciate the youth as both vulnerable victims of unemployment and vital agents of economic revival, somewhat South Africa’s saving grace. This seemed to allude that the GNU would have youth development etched into its legislative DNA.

Fast forward nearly a year later, one might ask, where are these newly formed youth endorsements?

Well, firstly, if you squint hard enough, you’ll spot a few recycled programmes and policies from the last administration just wheeled out again as if they were immensely impactful initiatives in the previous administration. Up to this point, there seems to be little sign of the bold, job-creating revolution that was promised with such conviction.

There seems to be no shiny interventions, no surge in placements, no measurable dent in the unemployment crisis. Just echoes of past plans and a surge in youth unemployment rates which rose from 44.6 % in Q4 2024 to 46.1 % in Q1 2025. 

How then are young people supposed to believe and trust in a government that seems to have no sense of urgency to deal with issues brought forth? It seems like youth is a priority in speeches and on paper but on the ground, they are yet to wait for the policy to catch up with the art. A reality many young people might have to face throughout the tenure of the GNU. 

Therefore, like the generation of 1976, today’s young people must be both strategic and relentless. Young people need to refuse to be sidelined and instead rise to the challenge of making their voices heard in a vastly different political, social and technological landscape. In the age of digital democracy, young people are no longer confined to the streets and stadiums, but their battlegrounds now include hashtags, viral campaigns, live streamed protests, podcasts, and online petitions. We need to use this new landscape for unprecedented reach and speed, enabling us to redefine civic engagement, expose undemocratic practices and injustice, mobilize in real time, and directly challenge political elites.

The youth need to continue to force national conversations and even compel policy responses.  The youth must go beyond performative online outrage and use digital tools to build lasting coalitions, shape public opinion, and demand meaningful accountability. If history teaches us anything, it is that when the youth organise with clarity and courage, they can shift the course of a nation. Now more than ever, the digital age must be used not only to express discontent, but to build and safeguard the future of our democracy.