Leveraging #FeesMustFall Protests to Improve Youth Participation in South Africa's Democracy
Abstract
This chapter aims to highlight the role of South Africa's #FeesMustFall protests as an innovative way to promote meaningful youth engagement in the country's ‘flawed' democracy. These historic protests, which took place in 2015, called for free higher education for all South African students. They provide important lessons about the power of collective action and digitally organised movements in influencing policy and political decisions at the national level. Like many African nations, youth participation in South Africa's elections (for those aged 18-34 years) is currently at an all-time low, more than 30 years of democracy.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Youth
Politics
and Society
South African History and Culture
Social Media and Politics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- IGI Global eBooks
- Pages
- 289–320
- Publication date
- 4 March 2026
- Language
- NG
- Document type
- Book chapter