The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Youth Brigade hopes to pull the country’s youth out of its voting slumber through a ”Miss IFP” beauty pageant, launched on Wednesday.
”The youth only want entertainment,” mused pageant project leader Sipho Mbatha. The brigade’s national executive committee decided to launch the contest in a bid to get young and first-time voters interested in the electoral process ahead of the 2009 elections.
Mbatha said the turnout by youths in all rounds of registrations for the voters’ roll and the polls was ”stubbornly”.
Promising a breakaway from traditional beauty contests that ”parade a petite frame”, the contest is open to all South African females between the ages of 16 and 25, regardless of political affiliation.
”It’s free for everybody to enter,” he said, adding that the winner will not be obliged to lobby for the IFP.
The primary aim of the pageant is to improve direct contact with the youth of KwaZulu-Natal. ”We just want to inform youth of what is expected of them when the election comes,” said Mbatha.
Twenty-five judges will consider the entrants’ attributes and the winner ”of fantastic prizes” will also undertake duties assigned by the youth brigade in the fields of HIV/Aids awareness and youth voter education.
Following the norms of most beauty contests, married women and mothers need not apply. ”This is not a Mrs IFP,” joked Mbatha.
In resolutions after its conference in December last year, the youth brigade said the 2009 elections will be ”a most fiercely contested battle for the heart and soul of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa”.
Constituencies have until September to choose the top 10 contestants to compete on district level and the top five to go to the finals in Durban in December.
”We are glad to say that the response, both from the public and sponsors, has so far been overwhelming,” said Mbatha. — Sapa