EFF Pushes for Voting Age to Be Lowered to 16, Mzansi Is Torn

• The EFF has once again called for an electoral reform to allow 16-year-olds to vote
• However, Mzansi is torn between supporting this reform or not, with some netizens arguing that 16-year-olds were not mature enough to vote
• Some netizens were convinced it might be time to give the young ones the platform to be a part of the decision-makers

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have yet again proposed significant changes to South Africa's electoral system, advocating for the voting age to be lowered to 16 years and for the scrapping of the voter registration requirement.

However, Mzasi disagreed with some, arguing that they might not be able to make informed decisions about voting, that they will not turn out to vote, or that they will vote the way their parents tell them to.

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See the post below:

@Deef_HachiRoku said:

"Why not lower the voting age to eight? Promise a lollipop if they vote EFF."

@Dumo_Officiall noted that:

"Desperation for votes ."

@QuinK13 commented:

"So they might get a few kids to vote for them. Honestly, we should lift the age to 21. That way, they have a little bit more sense of how the real world works, but then the EFF will only get 0.3% if they are lucky".

@Mlu_taj also said:

"That would mean the drinking age and age to get a license must be made 16 as well. You can't be old enough to vote but not be allowed to drive."

Some netizens were convinced it might be time to give the young ones the platform to be a part of the decision-makers.

@Jason_John2 commented:

"If the kids are the future, why shouldn't they have a seat? ."

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@Boitumelo_ZA stated:

"That's a good idea. If a 16-year-old is old enough to have an idea, they should be allowed to vote. reported that."

Not all candidates must be there

The EFF, along with other major opposition parties, has criticised the composition of this panel, which is tasked with assessing the need for electoral reform ahead of the 2029 South African elections.

A report by EWN noted that Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi established the panel, which includes nine members.

However, opposition parties argue that not all selected candidates possess the necessary experience and that the panel does not reflect the country's diverse demographics.

Opposition parties are particularly concerned about including Pansy Tlakula, the former chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), who resigned under controversy a decade ago.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has voiced strong objections, with spokesperson Liezl van der Merwe describing the process as rushed and criticising Parliament for not interviewing the candidates.

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Van der Merwe emphasised the missed opportunity to introduce fresh perspectives, younger voices, and independent experts.

The IFP is also against appointing former politicians to the panel, explicitly highlighting Richard Sizani, a former member of Parliament for the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, who will lead the panel.

"We missed a real opportunity to bring on board new ideas, fresh blood, young people, independent experts and civil society. It explicitly simply, again, the recycling of cadres."

Malema predicts votes will be stolen during the elections

Briefly News previously reported that EFF leader Julius Malema claims that Eskom will play the country dirty when the general election votes are counted.

Malema said there would be loadshedding on the day the votes from the 29 May general elections would be counted. The votes would then be stolen. He added that Eskom would implement Stage 6 loadshedding.

Source: Briefly News