Tired of all the same old politicians crowding the scene this election? In our series of interviews with young activists from various parties taking part in the May 7 elections we give you a heads up on some people who may one day be our country's leaders, in our parliament and our legislatures.
Political Profile
Name: Thorne Godinho
Age: 22
Joined: DA
“I think the common experience of middle class South Africans, and I dare say white South Africans, is that they will leave the country - and I find that to be an extremely selfish response because I think people who are not in the middle class experience far worse and cannot leave.”
In his office at the University of Pretoria, Thorne Godinho, Federal Media and Publicity Chair of the DA Youth, spoke about the “complicated” way in which he became a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
He was scarred by two events. At the age of 14, he and his family were robbed at home, tied up and held at gunpoint. Another incident that scared him was the death of Eugene Terreblanche, leader of right-wing Afrikaner group AWB in 2010, which he describes as a “moment of instability in South Africa, no matter how small it was, was traumatic and it seemed like we were not divided and there was no hope.”
Unlike many people who have reacted to violent crime with disillusionment, Thorne was firm that leaving was never an option.
While others were coping with high school, he went searching for political parties to make a difference. He jokes that he found that the DA was one of the parties that he had the most in common with, and he found a home in the DA as they were the only party to respond to his e-mail.
Now 22, Thorne, a final year LLB law student has, in six years, climbed the ranks to his current position. He calls himself “extremely extroverted, in some respects”. One of the best attributes, he notes about himself is his authenticity. When he was elected, he told the crowd jokingly: “I can come on stage and toyi toyi if you want me to, but then you would just be watching an awful white person on stage”.
”You find authenticity and imagination outside of politics, not within” he says about thinking broadly.
“Something we miss in South African politics is the belief in the political imagination and believing that there is more than the debate right now. Opposition politics is often defined by the ANC, but we never think about the imagination. Can we frame the debate in a different way. That’s important”
He walks a line between being immersed in the party and its politics, and also maintaining a life separate from that life. He said repeatedly that it is important to maintain a life outside of politics. He says that he is no longer cynical about politics, and believes that he would be a good member of parliament.
Thorne describes himself as a radical feminist, and says he believes in the role of women in the youth movement. His heroes include a list of women, starting with Helen Suzman, and women in the party, such as Natasha Michael and his mentor Lindiwe Mazibuko. But he does not think of himself as a role model. He says that it is simply what he has to do, and that his goal is to “fight for a better deal for young people.”
Naming a “culture of misogyny and sexism in South Africa, a country of angry men” he said that he would even step aside for a strong woman leader.
He admits that he has thought about quitting politics, and anyone who hasn’t had the same thought is lying. But for now, he is not going anywhere.
Not going anywhere: young political activist
Tired of all the same old politicians crowding the scene this election? In our series of interviews with young activists from various parties taking part in the May 7 elections we give you a heads up on some people who may one day be our country's leaders, in our parliament and our legislatures.
Political Profile
Name: Thorne Godinho
Age: 22
Joined: DA
“I think the common experience of middle class South Africans, and I dare say white South Africans, is that they will leave the country - and I find that to be an extremely selfish response because I think people who are not in the middle class experience far worse and cannot leave.”
In his office at the University of Pretoria, Thorne Godinho, Federal Media and Publicity Chair of the DA Youth, spoke about the “complicated” way in which he became a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA).
He was scarred by two events. At the age of 14, he and his family were robbed at home, tied up and held at gunpoint. Another incident that scared him was the death of Eugene Terreblanche, leader of right-wing Afrikaner group AWB in 2010, which he describes as a “moment of instability in South Africa, no matter how small it was, was traumatic and it seemed like we were not divided and there was no hope.”
Unlike many people who have reacted to violent crime with disillusionment, Thorne was firm that leaving was never an option.
While others were coping with high school, he went searching for political parties to make a difference. He jokes that he found that the DA was one of the parties that he had the most in common with, and he found a home in the DA as they were the only party to respond to his e-mail.
Now 22, Thorne, a final year LLB law student has, in six years, climbed the ranks to his current position. He calls himself “extremely extroverted, in some respects”. One of the best attributes, he notes about himself is his authenticity. When he was elected, he told the crowd jokingly: “I can come on stage and toyi toyi if you want me to, but then you would just be watching an awful white person on stage”.
”You find authenticity and imagination outside of politics, not within” he says about thinking broadly.
“Something we miss in South African politics is the belief in the political imagination and believing that there is more than the debate right now. Opposition politics is often defined by the ANC, but we never think about the imagination. Can we frame the debate in a different way. That’s important”
He walks a line between being immersed in the party and its politics, and also maintaining a life separate from that life. He said repeatedly that it is important to maintain a life outside of politics. He says that he is no longer cynical about politics, and believes that he would be a good member of parliament.
Thorne describes himself as a radical feminist, and says he believes in the role of women in the youth movement. His heroes include a list of women, starting with Helen Suzman, and women in the party, such as Natasha Michael and his mentor Lindiwe Mazibuko. But he does not think of himself as a role model. He says that it is simply what he has to do, and that his goal is to “fight for a better deal for young people.”
Naming a “culture of misogyny and sexism in South Africa, a country of angry men” he said that he would even step aside for a strong woman leader.
He admits that he has thought about quitting politics, and anyone who hasn’t had the same thought is lying. But for now, he is not going anywhere.
Click here learn about another young activist
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