President Jacob Zuma’s grounds for appeal are surreal. He invokes the meaning of a rule set by the apartheid context he ferociously fought against, to justify his executive action in a democracy.
Articles on African National Congress 2017
Displaying 21 - 40 of 48 articles
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s apology for his role in the 2012 Marikana massacre has no credibility, as there wasn’t full disclosure.
South Africa’s newest trade union federation, Saftu, comes at a time of declining political influence by unions, compared to during the struggle against apartheid. They are also seen as elitist.
Protests in South Africa have largely been confined to black working class townships and informal settlements. Is this beginning to change?
Democracy in South Africa is meaningless if it doesn’t improve the lives of the people. To do this, the governing ANC must be led by conscientious, competent and interested leaders.
The militant talk and antics by the ANC’s ex-soldiers may seem like theatrics, but they are a chilling reminder of how Zimbabwe used armed militia to crash opponents and democracy.
The latest backlash against South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma sees demands for his removal grow wider and deeper than ever before.
The notion of South African exceptionalism runs deep. Many people in the country believe that in some cases they are superior to the rest of the continent.
Are those ANC members critical of Zuma willing to stand up and be counted? Will Pravin Gordhan, popular hero of the hour, provide one further great service to the nation?
The focus will now be on how the social democratic and left-leaning members of South Africa’s cabinet – the “constitutionalists” – will respond to the reshuffle.
For Western Cape Premier Helen Zille to invite black South Africans, in a casual manner, to differentiate the legacies of colonialism is asking a lot.
Opposition parties in sub-Saharan Africa struggle to prove themselves worthy to skeptical voters who, unlike in Western competitive systems, don’t trust them over former liberation movements.
President Zuma’s speech is historically meaningless in that it is not a milestone of any professed historical mission.
The ANC should draw the lesson that South Africans are unlikely to tolerate the ongoing descent of their politics into the gutter without strident resistance - in the streets, if necessary.
Mahlangu’s resignation over the deaths of mental patients sets her apart from her colleagues in government. But, it does not portend a new trend in political accountability for the governing ANC.
The planting of messages and countering narratives in the media is not new. It’s part and parcel of contemporary politics especially during elections. The internet simply makes an old problem worse.
It’s vital that the problems at the South African Broadcasting Corporation be fixed in the public interest and for democracy, given its wide media reach in the country.
Dlamini-Zuma is an ambiguous, ambitious figure, an operator and bureaucrat with good credentials. But, she offers nothing new and can’t shake off claims that she’s just a shoe-in for her ex-husband.
The effects of a sovereign credit rating downgrade would be painful for all South Africans.
The problem for Jacob Zuma’s political theology is that far too many members of South Africa’s ruling ANC have been experiencing a dramatic loss of faith in a party they see as no longer righteous.
Top contributors
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Professor of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand
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Political Scientist, University of the Western Cape
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Professor in Political Science, University of South Africa
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Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Public Affairs, Tshwane University of Technology
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Extraordinary Professor, Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria
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Afrobarometer Senior Analyst/Methodologist, University of Cape Town
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Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town
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Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation, University of Pretoria
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Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
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Professor of Law, New York Law School
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Professor of Journalism in the Department of Journalism, Film and Television, University of Johannesburg
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Politics lecturer, Rhodes University
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Distinguished Reserach Professor, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
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Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Johannesburg