The fight for South Africa’s future
Young South Africans are using social media to transform their country’s politics.
Trending · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
There’s a new wave of political activism in South Africa. Young activists with social media savvy have shaken up the system and could be a decisive factor in next month’s general election.
We’ve been to Johannesburg to meet Sankara. His day job is selling eggs, and he’s a staunch supporter of the African National Congress (ANC) – the political movement that has been in power ever since Nelson Mandela was elected president 25 years ago.
But this time around the ANC’s majority is not looking so certain. One relatively new party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, are looking to boost their share of the vote with more radical policies over land reform and other issues. Their hard-left rhetoric has found an audience among many young people including students like Thapi.
The new wave of youth activism has been given a boost by campus movements against rising tuition fees and against alleged bias in education.
And so it’s fitting that we brought Sankara and Thapi to meet on the grounds of Wits University to debate the future path of South Africa.
Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Anisa Subedar Producer: Marco Silva
Photo Caption: ANC member Sankara (left) and EFF member Thapi (right)/ Photo Credit: BBC