South Africa’s tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu has sparked controversy with her attack on the country’s constitution and judges.
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The politically ambitious Sisulu’s most recent campaigning grenade came in her cynical attack on the country’s constitution and judiciary.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a meeting of the SACP in 2015.
GCIS: Flickr
The resort to armed struggle brought the Communist Party and the African National Congress much closer together during their time in exile.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’s campaign emphasises national issues.
EFE-EPA/Nic Bothma
The 2021 election will define for citizens important aspects of South Africa’s political future. What is the governing ANC’s future, and what was the impact of President Ramaphosa on this election?
The Democratic Alliance has been accused of inflaming racial tensions in Phoenix. Local residents belonging to a protection group stand watch in July 2021 at the height of the violence.
Photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images
The Democratic Alliance posters were not a bolt from the blue. They were consistent with messages the party’s current leadership has been sending out for some time.
The governing ANC is losing its political hegemony.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
Exactly when the ANC’s reign will end rides on what the party does or does not do between now and its elective conference in 2022.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of changes to his executive were met with mixed reactions.
GCIS
Cabinet reshuffles are always much less important events than the hype which surrounds them would suggest.
Residents in a Cape Town suburb queue to vote during previous municipal elections in South Africa.
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Concerns about socioeconomic well-being were the main reason why people voted for a certain political party.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa at the Zondo Commission into state capture.
GCIS
Unlike most politicians but typical of a negotiator, South Africa’s president has not put his plans on the table for public scrutiny.
Protesters descended on the seat of government in 2017 to demand former South African president Jacob Zuma resign.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
To build a political culture that supports democracy in South Africa, civic education needs to move beyond voter education.
ANC campaigners at voting station in November 2020.
Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images
The existing electoral system has attracted extensive criticism for rendering elected representatives unaccountable to those who elected them.
Failures by municipalities to do their work are forcing many residents to take matters into their own hands.
EFE-EPA/Nic Bothma
There has been growing discontent with many local authorities and calls by concerned citizens for the municipalities to be dissolved.
Enthusiastic ANC supportets celebrate a recent election victory.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
The trouble is that the ANC’s branch structure, designed initially as a means of grassroots democracy at work, is in a mess.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chair of the state capture commission.
EFE-EPA?Gulshan Khan/AFP/ Getty Images
Justice Raymond Zondo found that the test for recusal had not been met.
A real problem for the Democratic Alliance is that it cannot hope to displace the dominant African National Congress.
EFE-EPA/Kevin Sutherland
The problem for the Democratic Alliance is not one of policy. There is real substance in its commitment to substituting racial criteria for overcoming historical disadvantage.
ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule in court in Bloemfontein, on corruption charges.
EFE-EPA/Conrad Bornman
For every office holder who may lose a seat because they are prosecuted, another job opens up.
The governing party’s good performance may signal confidence in the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
Local government elections in South Africa have traditionally been characterised by low voter turnout.
African National Congress treasurer Paul Mashatile wants more money for political parties from the government.
Antonio Muchave/Sowetan/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Since parties always need money, forcing them to depend on private funders means throwing them into the hands of donors who will demand favours for their cash.
Political killings in the country are linked to the fierce competition for control of state resources within the governing ANC.
EPA-EFE/Jon Hrusha
Author shows how politicians intent on settling problems by physically eliminating opponents tap into a ready source of assassins from within the taxi industry.
The African National Congress fought against the evils of apartheid, but couldn’t escape the sins of power itself.
EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia
The book is set to heighten the debate about the future of the party, whose dominance has been in decline since 2009.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela with former American world boxing champion Marvin Hagler. The undated photo was taken after Mandela’s release.
Louise Gubb/GettyImages
Prison life is about routine: each day like the one before; each week like the one before it, so that the months and years blend into each other.