By Celiwe Ross
As South Africa commemorates 30 years of hard-won democracy, highlighted by numerous achievements and advancements along with noticeable challenges, a worrying trend has been growing in our society: the decline in voter participation.
This trend threatens the very fundamental principles of our democratic dispensation.
In addressing this issue, the role of employers and corporates, as catalysts of development and societal advancement, is absolutely key.
The recent call by The National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) for employers to grant staff time off on 29 May to vote in the country’s 7th national poll is not just a constitutionally backed call but a moral imperative. Section 19(3) of the Bill of Rights enshrines the right of every adult citizen to vote. This Constitutional provision affirms the significance of civic engagement in shaping our collective destiny.
At its core, voting is more than a civic responsibility. It is both a right and responsibility people have to create a collective destiny for the kind of country in which they would like to live.
Active participation in the elections helps to build a strong institutional culture where different voices come together to influence the direction of our society.
This active participation is crucial for building and promoting a community that feels empowered and involved in shaping its own future.
Within the broader scope of corporate responsibility, urging employees to participate in the polls seamlessly aligns with broader Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.
It is the Social element within which we aim to have the greatest impact, doing so under a governing Environmental landscape and utilizing appropriate Governance mechanisms to achieve those outcomes.
This Social dimension, while broad an all-encompassing, speaks to our organisations’s ability to impact fundamental outcomes such as decent work, greater economic participation, increased standards of living, the enforcement of basic human rights and the advancement of equity in our communities.
These desired outcomes can be directly linked to greater electoral participation, thus making our drive for employees to be actively involved in choosing their government representatives ever more important for the type of society that works for its people and that we can be proud of.
We have witnessed the transformative power of collective action in movements such as #MeToo, where communities leveraged social media and other platforms to raise their voices and to advocate for the change they sought.
Voting in the national elections is a strategic form of advocacy and can amplify such voices through a structured platform to channel societal aspirations into tangible outcomes.
Some critics and naysayers may argue that voting is futile in the face of the entrenched systemic issues we face in our country. However, the need for encouraging participation in the elections has never been more pronounced if one considers some alarming statistics when it comes to voter participation in the country.
According to The South African Institute of Race Relations, voter turnout has steadily declined since the historic 1994 elections.
The recent 2021 Local General Election (LGE) witnessed a meager turnout of 45.86%, reflecting a troubling disengagement from the democratic process.
Furthermore, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) there are approximately 14 million South Africans that are eligible to vote but remain unregistered.
This voter apathy, according to the Institute, mirrors the socio-economic challenges that have beset our nation, from state capture to corruption and economic instability.
If we are to address these challenges, civic responsibility must be not only acknowledged but also actively encouraged.
As part of fulfilling our civic responsibility, we invest in sponsorship activities that encourage active citizenry not only in South Africa but also in the markets we’re present in, on the continent.
As an organisation, we’ve organised an employee webinar that will focus on cultivating a new wave of engaged citizens and fostering ethical leadership in African politics and government.
We continue to encourage all employees and South Africans to exercise their civic responsibility and vote. Voting is not merely a civic duty; it is the cornerstone of a vibrant and participatory democracy.
The importance of this seemingly simple act can never be overstated, both here in South Africa and abroad.
At the heart of any democracy lies the principle of representation. The power to choose leaders and influence policies through the ballot box is the foundation upon which a democratic country thrives.
Employers and corporates must therefore seize this opportunity, encourage their employees and reaffirm the foundational principles of our Constitutional democracy to build a future where every voice matters and every vote counts.
Celiwe Ross, Director: Strategy, Sustainability, People and Public Affairs at Old Mutual.
BUSINESS REPORT