scholarly journals Zupta's Next Nightmare: The South African Local Government Elections of 3 August 2016

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Engel
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Coalition Politics ◽  
Freedom Fighters ◽  
South African Politics ◽  
Metropolitan Municipalities

On 3 August 2016 South Africa held its fifth local government elections (LGE) since the end of Apartheid in 1994. Against a backdrop of increasing political frustration with the ruling party's poor performance and continued debates about corruption and cronyism in the highest government circles, the African National Congress (ANC) maintained its dominant position but lost 8 per cent of the aggregate vote (53.91 per cent). The Democratic Alliance (DA) gained some 3 per cent (26.89 per cent) of the vote, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), first-time LGE campaigners, garnered 8.02 per cent. Importantly, the ANC lost control of three of the seven big metropolitan municipalities it had previously held. Since there was no clear-cut majority in four of the eight metros, coalition politics and the art of compromise will become a major feature of South African politics in the coming years. The elections were highly competitive and considered free and fair. At 57.97 per cent, voter turnout was slightly higher than in 2011.

Populist parties shifting the political discourse? A case study of the Economic Freedom Fighters in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-558
Author(s):  
Marine Fölscher ◽  
Nicola de Jager ◽  
Robert Nyenhuis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Party Leaders ◽  
Political Discourses ◽  
Popular Appeal ◽  
Freedom Fighters ◽  
Dominant Parties ◽  
South African Politics

ABSTRACTThis article examines the use of populist discourse in South African politics. We investigate speeches of leaders from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). We find that the EFF consistently employs populist appeals, while both the incumbent ANC and official opposition DA largely refrain. Our longitudinal analysis allows an examination of fluctuation across party leaders and electoral cycles, and illustrates that neither the ANC nor the DA have modified their political discourses in light of a rising populist challenger. However, there is some evidence that the two most dominant parties have reformed their programmatic offerings and behaviour in an attempt to compete with the EFF's popular appeal. The South African case offers important insights into the study of oppositional populism on the African continent, and a window into how major political parties may respond to emerging populist contenders.

Signals, strongholds, and support: Political party protests in South Africa

Politics ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 026339572093502
Author(s):  
Jacob S Lewis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
African Politics ◽  
Credible Commitments ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
The People ◽  
South African Politics ◽  
Costly Signals ◽  
Opposition Parties

South African politics are in a period of transition: the dominant African National Congress (ANC) is in decline, support for opposition parties has been rising, and voters have been disengaging rapidly from the electoral process. As protest movements have become more common and more powerful, established political parties have increasingly led their own protests, often addressing the same issues that citizens rise up about. This phenomenon has been understudied but has important ramifications for the future of South African politics. This article addresses this gap in the literature, arguing that party-led protests can be interpreted as costly signals of credible commitments to address the very issues that citizens are upset about. In a time when established parties are losing support, they may turn to these costly protests to demonstrate their commitment to addressing the needs of the people. Using counts of party-led protests and riots as well as election outcomes in the 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019 national elections, this article demonstrates that party-led protests primarily target stronghold municipalities. In doing so, they positively correlate with vote-shares during elections. This boon accrues primarily to the opposition parties, but not the incumbent ANC.

scholarly journals An analysis of the declining support for the ANC during the 2011 South African local government elections

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Twala
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Majority Vote ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Registered Voters

Local government elections are notorious for low voter turnout, but the May 2011 elections in South Africa showed a record 58 percent of the 24 million registered voters. In South Africa, local government matters and not just because it provides a pointer to what might happen in the provincial and national elections due in 2014, but helps in determining the readiness of the African Nation Congress in providing basic services to the different communities. Interestingly, these elections were preceded by service delivery protests against the ANC. The article is an analysis of the decreased support for the ANC during the 2011 local government elections. The multifaceted reasons behind the boiling cauldron of this decline in support for the ANC are scrutinised. Underpinning this decline in support often lie deep and complex factors which can be uncovered through a careful analysis of the ANC’s campaigning strategies ahead of these elections; the media which has been accused of rampant sensationalism; service delivery protests and mudslinging from other political parties. However, it is not the author’s intention in this article to deal with how other parties fared during these elections, but to highlight their impact on the declined support received by the ANC in the elections. The discussion is presented in four parts: the first presents an exploratory discussion on the theory of local government in the sphere of governance. The second part discusses some key strategies and tactics used by the ANC in attempts to galvanise support, as well as the challenges encountered. The third deals with the opposition parties’ machinery in preventing the ANC from getting a majority vote during the election. Lastly, the article concludes by highlighting the lessons learnt by the ANC during these elections within the framework of electoral politics in South Africa.Keywords: local election 2011, African National Congress (ANC), local government. Disciplines: History, political science, electoral studies

Reminisces of Participants in the Struggle against Apartheid about Studying in the USSR (1960s–1980s)

2021 ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Daria A. Turianitsa
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
South African ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
White People ◽  
South Africans ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Racial Perceptions ◽  
Freedom Fighters ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Thabo Mbeki

This article is a review of South African cadets’ and students’ memoirs that received political or/and military education in the Soviet Union as a part of Soviet assistance in solidarity against the apartheid. Most of them were fighters of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) “Umkhonto we Sizwe”. This paper examines and cites the curious aspects of Soviet life noted by the arriving students, among whom was the ex-President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, as well as many former and current high-ranking authorities of this country. It is worth saying that the authors of the published recollections highlighted not only the positive aspects of their stay in the Soviet Union, but also did mentioned some negative sides, thus providing a more “complete” picture. However, one should not forget that in many ways the description of certain events was directly related to the student’s outlook and could differ from the real state of affairs. The authors of this article were especially interested in what trainees expected to see in the USSR, how their relations with Soviet citizens were built, and what experience they kept in mind at the end of their studies. The authors tried, partially quoting the memoirs of some freedom fighters, to answer these questions. It is worth pointing out that as one of the main results of cooperation Soviet officers and other instructors, by their own example, were able to change the racial perceptions of South Africans by showing how “white” people could be.  

scholarly journals Skills profile of technical staff in the south African local government sector: an empirical survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit van der Waldt ◽  
David Fourie ◽  
Johan Jordaan ◽  
Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Empirical Survey ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
Government Sector ◽  
Metropolitan Municipalities ◽  
Skills Shortages

The purpose of this article is to reflect on the findings of a local government sector-wide technical skills audit. A mixed-method research design was followed in both a positivist and interpretivist scientific paradigm to conduct the survey in local, district and metropolitan municipalities. Quantitative and qualitative data were processed and thematic analyses were done per respondent and participant category to obtain rich descriptions of current technical skills challenges and skills development priorities in local government. From the empirical survey it is evident that significant technical skills shortages exist, especially in rural district and local municipalities. This severely compromises the delivery of the four basic technical services, namely water provisioning, waste management, sanitation and sewerage, and electricity.

scholarly journals Politics without morality and accountability: The Nkandla case from a deontological perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojalefa L.J. Koenane
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Categorical Imperative ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Political Elites ◽  
South Africans ◽  
The Face ◽  
National Congress ◽  
South African Politics ◽  
Moral Attitudes

The Nkandla controversy has long dominated South African politics and has seemingly been endless. This article revisits the Nkandla issue from the perspective that it fails the Kantian categorical imperative (i.e. CI) and attempts to explain the problem of individual as well as organisational or structural corruption, in which the author contends the Nkandla controversy to be grounded. This article opens a discussion on the relevance of Kantian theory in confronting the matter of Nkandla. The author argues that Kant’s moral theory should not be viewed simplistically but from a rational position of internalised moral maxims or precepts. The Nkandla project is interrogated in relation to the former Public Protector’s and Minister of Police’s reports on the Nkandla ‘security upgrades’. It is the author’s view that South Africans are demanding accountability insofar as the Nkandla project is concerned, since moral attitudes are an integral and necessary part of our everyday lives. It is the author’s contention that the President and the executive have no desire to be accountable and transparent in the Nkandla matter. The aftermath of Nkandla controversy has changed the face of South Africa’s political environment completely. The author further argues that holding political elites accountable should not be regarded as hostility towards those held responsible and the African National Congress as political organisation. The author also looks at the Constitutional Court ruling on this matter.

scholarly journals Factors affecting the performance of South African municipal officials: stakeholders’ perspectives

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-115
Author(s):  
Tyanai Masiya ◽  
Yul Derek Davids ◽  
Mary S Mangai
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
South African ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Negative Power ◽  
Government Interventions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Political Interference ◽  
The Government

Since the inception of the democratically elected post-apartheid government, South Africa has experienced growing numbers of protests about inadequate provision of basic municipal services. Recent studies have revealed that the poor performance of municipal officials contributes towards poor municipal service delivery. This article is based on a study which used qualitative key stakeholder interviews to analyse the performance of South African municipal officials, specifically in the delivery of services. It found that the following inter-related factors were responsible for the lack of performance: an unsupportive institutional environment, negative power struggles, over-regulation, political interference, a tense and bureaucratic environment, lack of coherent management systems, absence of a culture of excellence, poor skill utilisation, poor oversight mechanisms, weak capacity to engage in collaborations, and lack of trust between councillors from different political parties. The study concludes that for South African municipalities to meet their constitutional obligations to deliver optimal basic services to the people, the government must, inter alia, invest in building the capacity of municipal officials through the development of skills and other crucial local government interventions and transformations. The municipalities should also depoliticise local government and promote non-partisan appointment of municipal officials.

scholarly journals Evaluation of strategic management in assisting South African municipalities improve service delivery

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
Sandiso Ngcobo ◽  
M.G. Mdani
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Auditor General ◽  
Audit Reports ◽  
Improve Service Delivery

The reports tabled by the Auditor General on yearly basis reflect poor performance on a number of areas in respect of service delivery in South African municipalities. As a possible solution, the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs (DLGTAs) has introduced a strategic management plan that should be implemented by municipalities to assist them improve their performance. Hence, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the perceptions of municipal managers and councillors on the role of the strategic management in assisting them improve service delivery. The findings show that the assistance provided by the EC DLGTAs is not without weaknesses. It is then recommended that the areas of improvement should be addressed in an effort to improve audit reports.

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