The election of Port Elizabeth's first black mayor in 1995 signalled that the democratic change that had started in 1994 was irreversible. But problems lay ahead.
African National Congress top six leaders. The governing party’s wishes are sometimes out of kilter with the dictates of statecraft.
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President Ramaphosa's state of the nation speech showed his preference for less contentious matters that attract praise, rather than catalytic decisions.
Anti-corruption protesters march on Parliament in Cape Town in 2017.
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In South Africa, state corruption has taken hold with utter disregard for ethics and democratic norms in a cynical exploitation of the post-apartheid transformation agenda.
The town of Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown, and surrounds have suffered serious neglect by the local municipality.
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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.
Senior Research Specialist in Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State
Senior Lecturer in Economics, Research Associate at the Public and Environmental Economics Research Centre (PEERC) and Visiting Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Study (JIAS), University of Johannesburg