{"id":10438,"date":"2026-07-03T16:44:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=10438"},"modified":"2026-07-03T16:44:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:44:52","slug":"south-africas-political-landscape-has-changed-for-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/?p=10438","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s political landscape has changed for good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"textFreeArticle\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/iframe.iono.fm\/e\/1692236?layout=modern\" width=\"100%\" height=\"170\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm\u00a0here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>South Africa\u2019s coalition era is no longer a political experiment but a permanent reality. In her new book <em>Where to from Here?<\/em> Political writer and Business Day parliamentary correspondent Tara Roos argues that identity politics, populism and weak coalition structures are reshaping the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p>She joins me now to discuss why some parties are thriving, others are fading, and whether South Africans are heading towards more fragmentation or perhaps a new political consensus.<\/p>\n<p>Tara, a very warm welcome and congratulations on the book. It argues that we\u2019ve entered this age of uncertainty. Is that uncertainty, do you think, now the defining feature of politics in South Africa?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>Absolutely, I think the defining feature of politics in South Africa today is coalitions and populism, and the uncertainty that comes with both of those things.<\/p>\n<p>For many, many years in South African politics, you knew the ANC (African National Congress) was going to rule. You knew that the decisions that came out of the ANC NEC (National Executive Committee) was going to govern the country, and for the first time in history, that is absolutely not the case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>Let me pick you up on that word, populism. Do you think it\u2019s filling a vacuum then, that has simply been ignored, abandoned, left by mainstream parties that have simply deflected and have stopped listening?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>Absolutely. When we look at the rise of populist parties, it can be directly linked to the government\u2019s inability to address key issues to South Africans. If you walk down the street, Jeremy, and you were to ask someone randomly what they thought the biggest issue in this country was: They would either tell you it has to do with crime, or it has to do with the economy, whether it be high employment, economic stagnation.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you look at crime, for example, it is populist movements that have been able to co-opt these key issues to South Africans that are not being addressed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>AfriForum will tell you that white farmers are the most oppressed in South Africa. Coloured nationalist groups like the Patriotic Alliance, the National Coloured Congress will tell you actually, it\u2019s the child in the Cape Flats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"visible-sm-block visible-xs-block m1010\">\n<div class=\"ad-container-wrapper\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That completely ignores the fact that 70 murders happen a day in this country. Everyone is affected by crime. It is not specific to one group only, but it is these populist movements\u2019 ability to co-opt these issues that are not being addressed and tailor it to their particular demographic to tell them actually, you are the most vulnerable, and if you vote for me, I will help solve your issues because no one is listening to you.<\/p>\n<p>Read:<br \/>Geordin Hill-Lewis vows to enforce consultation in coalition<br \/>Local elections become the next big test for SA\u2019s investment case<br \/>Protest is a right, but also a responsibility \u2013 Ramaphosa<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>And therein lies the problem. Voters agree on what the issues are, but have widely differing views on the solutions. That, Tara, I would suggest, makes any kind of compromise almost impossible in the current paradigm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS:<\/strong> Absolutely, because you are never going to please everyone. The difficulty that I think we face today is that we don\u2019t have a unified vision of where we are going to as South Africa. We can agree that crime is an issue. We can agree that economic stagnation, high unemployment, these are issues.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>How do we fix those, I think is where we are really lost as South Africans<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When we look into post 1994 into the early 2000s, South Africans were reunified in the direction of the country. And today, I think that there is a large splintering of that direction, and many South Africans actually don\u2019t know what the future holds for us as a nation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>The consequence of that splintering is, as you write, coalition politics. Does it encourage, as it should, better accountability and cooperation, or, as we suspect, simply rewarding backroom deal making?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>I think we do lack a lot of maturity in our coalitions currently. I think that as part of an evolving and growing democracy, maturity does come. There is a stark difference in the first year of the GNU (government of national unity) versus the second.<\/p>\n<p>But I think when we look at the lack of political maturity, particularly at a local government and provincial level, when it comes to coalition politics\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I don\u2019t think that we are at a time yet where coalitions are actually very fruitful in allowing for accountability and allowing for diverse voices to be heard.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Currently, where we are right now, it is about who can undercut the most, who can play the game of politics the best. I think that ultimately that is not the most productive outcome for South Africans.<\/p>\n<div class=\"visible-sm-block visible-xs-block m1010\">\n<div class=\"ad-container-wrapper\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n<p>CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Listen\/read:<br \/>ActionSA slams Dina Pule appointment as accountability failure<br \/>Steenhuisen demoted as Ramaphosa reshuffles cabinet<br \/>GNU faces new test over cabinet power struggle<br \/>Mashaba hints at mayoral run, refuses to back Zille<br \/>Strategy or sell-out: ActionSA backs ANC budget with conditions [April 2025]<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>That doesn\u2019t bode well for Johannesburg in the upcoming municipal election, does it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>Absolutely not. What has happened in the City of Joburg, Jeremy, has been absolutely devastating when we look at the lack of governance, the lack of political will, or the lack of cooperation to make the city work.<\/p>\n<p>Joburg is not only the economic heart of the country, it is also a massive role player on the continent.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If Joburg fails, South Africa fails. I think when we look at the inability and the lack of political maturity for a working coalition to survive in the City of Joburg, I think it does give residents very little hope going to the ballot in November this year.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>Tara, in the book you talk about winners, losers and survivors. But the reality of the situation is the party facing the greatest existential threat right now is the African National Congress.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>Absolutely, the ANC was the biggest loser in 2024. They are likely to be the biggest loser again in 2026. I talk about this in the book, Jeremy, the problem is that the ANC, despite all of its failures, is still the most popular party in the country. South Africans like the ANC, they like ANC policies, they do not like ANC governance, and the ANC\u2019s track record in governance.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The ANC\u2019s problem is that they\u2019re not honest with themselves about the reality of South Africa and what they particularly have done to South Africa through their bad governance track record.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I think until the ANC is honest with themselves, there will be no change in their electoral outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>Read\/listen:<br \/>Johannesburg collapse risk spurs call for state to run city<br \/>Mr Mayor, in what city do you live?<br \/>City of Joburg\u2019s budget and mayor in crisis<br \/>Joburg needs the finest people to lead the city \u2013 Malose Kekana [June 2023]<br \/>ANC loses grip on key SA cities after election setback [Nov 2021]<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>On the other side of the divide is the Democratic Alliance (DA) that you write has a messaging problem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"visible-sm-block visible-xs-block m1010\">\n<div class=\"ad-container-wrapper\">\n<p>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n<p>CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS: <\/strong>They have a messaging problem and a growth problem. The DA, for all intents and purposes, is a massive communications and PR machine. When you look at DA marketing, you would believe that the DA is doing absolutely amazingly.<\/p>\n<p>They were the official opposition for 20 years. They finally entered government.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The DA\u2019s entrance into government is not because of their own successes but because of the ANC failures. They actually lost almost 100 000 votes going from 2019 into 2024, and they\u2019ve lost 600 000 votes since 2014.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When we look at that decline, the fact that the DA is the official opposition for 20 years, it was unable to pick up a single vote despite the ANC\u2019s watershed election in 2024, is a clear indication that the party is not growing.<\/p>\n<p>Read\/listen: DA majority in Joburg within reach, but hinges on voter turnout<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS: <\/strong>Just finally, beyond the municipal election, do you think we are then moving towards, in time, a more mature coalition democracy, which is what South Africans want, I imagine, or maybe more worryingly, an era of permanent instability and this fragmentation that you\u2019ve referred to?<\/p>\n<p><strong>TARA ROOS:<\/strong> I hope that we are nearing the end of this instability coalition period. The longer we have coalitions, the more and more they mature. Coalitions at a national level are still very new in the democratic history of South Africa.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It is really my hope and my wish that we will see greater political maturity and cooperation at a national level, at provincial level and at local government level, because coalitions are here to stay.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It is unlikely for the foreseeable future that any party will get 50 plus one and I think that is a reality that political parties need to accept. I think that there needs to be greater efforts to make coalitions work in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEREMY MAGGS:<\/strong> Well, for my money, one of the best political books that I\u2019ve read in recent times, it\u2019s called <em>Where to From Here? Populism and Coalition Politics in South Africa<\/em>, and the author is Tara Roos. Tara, thank you very much.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>#South #Africas #political #landscape #changed #good<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm\u00a0here. JEREMY MAGGS: South Africa\u2019s coalition era is no longer a political experiment but a permanent reality. In her new book Where&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[410,3501,66,7119,675,409],"class_list":["post-10438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investing","tag-africas","tag-changed","tag-good","tag-landscape","tag-political","tag-south"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fintechpulse8.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}