The ANC has launched a mobile application on Mxit to target the youth vote across South Africa ahead of the general election, which will take place in the first half of 2014.

The “My ANC” app comes on the back of the “My ANC Western Cape” Mxit app, which the party claims has more than 400 000 subscribers, most in the 17-25 age bracket.

“The app, which can be downloaded for free across more than 8 000 mobile devices, provides young South Africans with the opportunity to engage actively with the ANC, gain access to information on service delivery, learn about ANC events, voting and registering for the 2014 elections, and details of their local ward councillors,” the party says in a statement.

The app deals with “topical issues”, including unemployment and education, it says. Subscribers can participate in polls and sign up as ANC volunteers.

“The My ANC Western Cape Mxit application has proven to be highly successful and we are pleased to offer its benefits to the rest of the country,” says ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu in the statement. “Young people across the country will now be able to access and learn more about the ANC and how to vote to ensure the voice of their generation is being heard.”

Mxit CEO Francois Swart says the ANC uses Mxit to good effect. “Politics is an important conversation in South Africa — especially when it comes to the youth, who might be less engaged in the conversation happening in newspapers and other media platforms,” Swart says. “We believe in our users’ right to be informed about everything that is relevant to them, and one of the great things about Mxit is that it is not just a one-way communication tool, users have the opportunity to engage back and have their own opinions shape the conversation.”