Oh leader, my leader...who will it be?

By Athambile Masola

I have been following Julius Malema’s trial with half an ear. Much ink has been spilled and printed about the ANC Youth League leader and it seems almost useless to be writing about him at this stage of his leadership of the youth league.

The great “Juju”, has never been without a flurry of commentary and controversy — everything from hate speech to an expensive lifestyle — in spite of representing the masses of unemployed and downtrodden youth in South Africa. But central to the controversy he inspires has been the question of youth leadership in South Africa.

Do leaders such as Malema or Buti Manamela represent the youth voice and interests in South Africa? On the flip side of the coin, young leaders from the Democratic Alliance always seem to be pitted against the ANCYL and YCL leaders. Lindiwe Mazibuko topped the consternation levels a while back when it was intimated that she is not black enough because she did not grow up in a township. If these are the leaders that represent young people in South Africa, there’s no wonder many young people show little interest in politics.

With the local elections around the corner many of my friends and I are keen to cast a vote. But for whom? The comrades who are defending the singing of a song containing the lyrics “dubul’ ibhunu“, or “shoot the boer” in a country that should be healing the wounds of the past? Or the party with young leaders who are judged for their twanging accents and apparent assimilation in the DA?

If we focus on party politics as an avenue for direction on youth leadership, we miss the point in trying to find the youth voice among South Africans. Firstly, we are minimising leadership to a title and the people who attract the most attention (often for the wrong reasons).

Secondly, the message we are sending to young people could be “public office is about rhetoric and not action”.

Finally, leadership becomes about who you know and are associated with rather than the contribution you make to your community.

Perhaps I am ill-informed about the contributions young people in political parties are making beyond what is reported in the media, and that would be a pity. Underlying this opinion suggests that I do not deem positions in political parties (simply spewing out rhetoric rather than relying on actions to speak for one’s character) as being sufficient for addressing the youth question. Petty politics about accents and songs make a mockery of the real issues that affect the young people in this country — the largest group of the population that are unemployed.

In a country where the dearth of the “youth voice” is a constant lament, have we considered why this is the case? Are there enough efforts engaging young people about their role in this country beyond aspiring for titles and fancy cars? What would these efforts look like anyway?

Young leaders are everywhere in South Africa, but with the emphasis in the media being on bad leadership, this often clouds the ordinary efforts made daily by young people who do not have the correct titles.

We need to redefine the problem of the dearth of the “youth voice”. The concept of leaders needs to be reconsidered in order for more people to start considering themselves as leaders rather than letting those with the loudest voice speak on their behalf.

Athambile is a master’s student pursuing an understanding of the complexities that plague our education system.