Elite political culture matters, especially in the context of a unity government. To succeed, party leaders must embrace the politics of collaboration built on trust.
- Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Citizenship at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State
Political parties must show ideological flexibility to foster stability and drive South Africa towards prosperity through creative policy solutions.
A threshold has been crossed, with a pessimistic outlook becoming more dominant than an optimistic one.
South Africans are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy because of its failure to address inequality.
Parties must forego ideological rigidity and compromise for the common good, says Mpho Phalatse about making coalitions work.
To build a political culture that supports democracy in South Africa, civic education needs to move beyond voter education.
The precedent-setting ruling may cause jitters in dysfunctional municipalities around the country.
Political mistrust is high as the country looks to the next municipal elections in 2021.
The African National Congress faces two big challenges: fewer South Africans trust it, while its electoral support has been waning.
Troubles in South Africa’s coalition-led local governments are affecting accountability, governance stability and service delivery.
The Democratic Alliance is potentially in a good position to challenge the ANC, which governs South Africa, for power.
Attempts to deepen democracy in Africa by limiting presidential terms to two have not entirely quashed a culture of entitlement to rule. Glimpses of it persist, much against citizens’ wishes.
In previous elections speculation in South Africa focused on the likely size of the ruling ANC’s majority. This time the question on people’s minds is: will the ANC win or lose Nelson Mandela Bay?
Poor attendance at the launch of the ANC’s local elections manifesto shows the party no longer holds much weight with the electorate in the key Nelson Mandela Bay, which it has dominated since 1994.
If the governing ANC ignores the calls for Zuma’s resignation,it may undermine South Africa’s leadership on the continent. It creates the idea that he can undermine the constitution with impunity.
University students in South Africa tend to fall into a “single story” trap, ignoring other individuals’ experiences to construct an understanding of the country’s political realities.
In the next few weeks we may see a resurgence of rhetoric calling for more resources to fight the War on Terror following the Paris attacks. Islamophobia may take deeper root in Europe as a whole.
University students in South Africa have shown the potential of mass mobilisation to influence policy in advancing justice for their constitutional democratic rights.
Economic transformation of unequal societies in a democratising context is difficult. This requires a creative mix of policy options underpinned by a commitment to social justice.
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