Current Politics in South Africa

Current Politics in South Africa

            Politics are activities related to 'decision-making in groups and as individuals. This definition expands to the group's ability to distribute and handle resources in a given setup. Politics also play out very much in a community; when such happens, the politics are said to be localized. In a more expanded view, politics becomes national. Every nation of the world possesses this vital aspect, which is politics. In Africa, various nations have been involved in good and bad politics. South Africa is one of the countries that have experienced both aspects of politics. Despite its standing in Africa, it is essential to learn about some significant and current events in South Africa that are shaping the future of politics in the world. 

Background history of South Africa 

            South Africa is a republic that is led by democracy. It has an extraordinary parliament known as a unitary parliament. The President has two functions under his/her mandate. He serves as a head of state and head of government. He is elected by the national assembly, which is ultimately the lower house as provided for by the constitution of that state. However, the President must retain the trust of the national assembly to remain in power and the country's authority.

            Additionally, the country holds elections to elect governors in the nine provinces of the state. After the apartheid struggle, the country became a one-party state; this party dominated the country's political landscape. The party is referred to as the African National Congress (ANC). It dominates both provincial and national politics. Its dominance has been seen in the just-concluded general election, where it garnered more than 40% of the total cast votes, and the other parties shared the rest of the spoils. 

            The African National Congress (ANC) faces stiff competition from one opposition party known as the democratic alliance (DA). John Steenhusien leads this party. The party received over 21% of the vote in the last general election. Other political parties represented in parliament include the economic freedom fighters (EFF), the Inkathathe freedom party (IFP), the new national party (np), and other parties. South Africa has also tasted like one of the best leaders in history. Nelson Mandela served the nation wholeheartedly up to 1999. Thabo Mbeki took over after the demise of Mandela and pushed the country up to the better times of 2008(Cook, 2020). Jacob Zuma took over the reins of power from 2009-2018. Later on, South Africa enjoyed Ramaphosa's reign until his resignation in February 2018. The country held recent elections this year, and the ruling party lost most of the seats in parliament. This was the first time the ruling party lost elections in early 1994. However, it remains the largest party in national politics. 

Land reforms and elections

            South Africa is an urbanized economy; however, the majority of income comes from the rural economy, and most black South African residents who are farmers are still suffering. They complain of lots of unfulfilled promises when it comes to land reforms. The government has not yet settled on the promises, and the election outcomes will be based on these significant aspects. All the politics started after the apartheid, where the whites owned most of the lands. It is essential to reveal the land issue in South Africa. The land audit shows that whites own over 26 million tracts of land in the overall space, approximating 72% of the total acreage (Cook, 2020). The colored people in South Africa own over 15% of the total acreage. This makes Indians the lowest holders of land at 5%. However, Africans own 3% of the total space, and co-openers share the remaining 1%.

            The issue of lands has been a thorn in the flesh of South Africans. South Africa borrowed key institutions from North American principles. The natives developed a land act in 1913, where over 87% of the arable land was allocated to the whites. The Land Act held that land should be '\apportioned along racial lines (Williams, 2021). This meant that the whites and foreigners were apportioned more extensive tracts of land. The Act gave the whites over 90% of the total land.

.The Act gave more provisions on the black's ownership. Land tracing and division were left in the hands of the African chiefs. The chiefs blocked the blacks' lands; therefore, the lands were not marketable and could not be used as collateral to access loans and other finances (Blair et al., 2018). The acts continued to cancel land rental agreements between individuals and different races (Mtero et al., 2018). Additionally, the Act prohibited sharing crop sharing, and black laborers were not allowed to work on white farms. All the above provisions affected farmers in one way or the other.

            After the apartheid, the new South Africa came into force. All land laws were repealed in 1991. This happened after the tireless efforts of apartheid activists and pressure from the international community in 1994. Nelson Mandela was elected the first black democratic President of South Africa, and he spearheaded the country's land redistribution to the black population (Spiereburg, 2020). Nelson Mandela promised massive compensation to the labor tenants removed from their property without their will (Smith, 2023). These provisions were later enshrined in their constitution and were dubbed as "willing –buyer and willing seller."

            The provisions were implemented in a limited way. The reforms were expected to be a tool of justice, reconciliation, and dignity. The changes could have spurred growth in South Africa if the recommendations had been implemented correctly. Thinking about countries such as Peru, a large-scale reform boosted the housing sector by over 60% in the year 2005. South Africa tried this plan but has been slow, so the results have been meager. Experts held quantitative research in August 2018, and the results are revealing. The results showed that blacks held over 4% of the agricultural land while white people took 72% of the total land coverage by 2018. The report also revealed that the whites underdeveloped a good percentage of the land.

            A significant threat came from the land claims that accompanied the land issues. There are thousands of claims lodged by the blacks against the whites in South Africa. These claims are surrounded by significant issues, including inadequate resources, poor record keeping, corruption, and many more (Namugize, 2018). Economists hold that the cases may take up to 709 years to process the same claims. Despite enacting various provisions, the land cases have received limited settlement as there is no government support regarding financial resources and training.

            Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership expanded their promises of land rights to strengthen the property rights of all blacks in South Africa. The rights aim to ensure that there are benefits attached to the land, aspects of marketability of the lands, and legality of the lands. A minority of South Africans enjoy these benefits and rights. This has brought inequality and social instability within land owners in South Africa. The inclusivity aspects are needed critically here. With many issues surrounding South Africa's land aspects, voters may punish the government on the ballot in the ongoing election.

Seeking a National Unity Government.

            In a historic election, ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in years. The party is seeking a national unity government that will reflect the people's will as the country moves to the future. This is the move and position of the party after the historic loss in the recent polls. This is the post-election strategy for the party to remain vibrant in the country. President Ramaphosa wishes to invite other political vehicles to form a national government of national unity (Van, 2019). The national government will first settle on the country's pressing issues. The press calls this the broadest form of unity for the South African people (Drew, 2019). The unity will be in action to tackle issues such as crime, poverty, high cost of living, and corruption (Hornell, 2022). According to Ramaphosa, this is when the nation will enjoy multiparty cooperation and more collaboration and bring more benefits to the citizens of South Africa.

            The new coalition will handle the national challenges collectively. It is essential to dig deeper into the issues facing the citizens of South Africa. This includes slow economic growth, unemployment, and structural inequality. Indeed, South Africa faces an unequal society. Like other African countries, South Africa faces a wide gap in its population. There are few wealthy individuals and many poor people on the other side. The rate of unemployment in the nation is overwhelming. Its unemployment rate stands at 33%; young people are ravaging poverty, with unemployment standing at 45% and still rising day after day (Horowitz, 2023). Electricity supply needs to be improved as homes and businesses face frequent blackouts. These challenges are topped up by run-away corruption in the government. These issues need to be addressed in the new national government. The issues are real and ripe. It is a current issue in their political arena. President Ramaphosa, with his national government, will build on the economy, create more jobs, deal with crime, and run away from corruption as they improve service delivery within the government.

            This deliberations of forming a national government will not be a walk in the park. The ANC will have to trade off key positions, primarily in the executive and parliamentary seats, to other parties to gain the interested parties' support. The party must also show commitment to reforms and act from now on as they deal with corruption in the nation.EFF party has expressed interest in the coalition government. This means that EFF may co-govern with ANC if the deal goes through later next month (Evans, 2023). However, the EFF has requested a deputy president position for the support they will give to the ruling party ANC. The MK party has resisted the offer and calls for a change of presidency; this means they cannot join the party (Adams et al., 2023). The same party has pushed for the amendment of the constitution, but the ruling ANC is opposed to it.

            Ramaphosa, on his part, insists that the only matter now is national unity. This is critical after a period of toxic politics and the electioneering period. The ANC negotiators have continued to meet other political parties to reach a deal (Wimmer, 2023). The ANC has insisted that change in the constitution is not negotiable and should not be at the table now. The key issues should be building on cooperation and vivid ideologies. Experts have listed several advantages of a national government, especially in an active country like South Africa. It will bring reconciliation and one oneness. This comes from sharing the authority and power in the government. Various diversities will be able to lead in various ministries, including defense, foreign affairs, communication, and many more. Everybody will have a feeling of belongingness. The national government can bring efficiency in administration. The multicultural government can handle issues not only from a localized perspective but also in a nationalized way without tribalism or favoritism (Maphumulo, 2019). This and many more disadvantages may accrue after forming a national unity government. However, issues of disagreement may arise, resulting in the breakup of the national unity government. The South African ANC party has only one option: to walk the road of a national unity government to form a stable, united government.

The expanded role of a deputy president.

            The Southern African President has made several cabinet reshuffles. One of these changes was to install Mr. Paul Mashatile as the country's new deputy president. It has been the norm for South Africa that the elected deputy president will eventually ascend to power and become the next head of state. We will wait to see if this will be the case with Mr. Paul. Mashatile brings expertise and experience from the political arena, which will be crucial in running the country in the future (Kemp et al., 2018). His appointment came days after a growing resistance and restlessness across the nation. The state has been criticized for many failures, rampant corruption, and organized crimes across the country. Experts held that Mashatile would be a crucial part of the politics of South Africa. He will ideally support President Ramaphosa in two ways. These two aspects will include assisting in rebuilding the country's public trust and bringing a stable criminal justice system (Schermers et al., 2021). This role is classified as a security governance issue.

            On prevention of crime and security, Mashatile will oversee the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cabinet committee. This committee brings together all cabinet ministers responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the country. It should be remembered that this committee contradicted each other during the 2021 unrest. Their unity was not seen during the unrest. The violence affected areas such as Kwa-Zulu and Gauteng. This means that the committees could be better coordinated. With his hands-on experience in politics and other aspects, Mashatile will help President Ramaphosa live a legacy on the security of the poorly coordinated security department (Panwells, 2022). Other state departments also confirm a dire need to address the security problem within the committee and the nation. The criminal prevention committee was established during President Thambo Mbeki's reign. It brings together ministries from various outfits in the country. These sub-departments include police, state security, justice system, military, and finance. Mashatile must contend with their establishment and friction within their working patterns (Mboti et al., 2018). The goal is to establish a wholesome security department that is part of the Rampahosa legacy concern.

            The second part of his duty will be to serve on the National Security Council, which the President leads. The council must implement the national security plan and oversee the creation of a budget that handles the country's intelligence services (Joshua et al., 2022). Additionally, the council is responsible for coordinating all security concerns and agents and receiving reports from all national security structures as required (Thwala, 2023). Its mandate overlaps with that of the Justice and Crime Committee.

            Mashatile will also be responsible for bringing the required stability to the country. The President has entrusted this to his deputy, Mashatile. This showcases the confidence the two share in friendship and the country. This means that the two cannot let the country and the nation plunge into the deep waters. In his wish list, Mashatile expects to put critical systems in place. This will bring into the limelight the day-to-day policing activities. Under his role, he will also combat crime, which has made public life potent. This is an expansive role bestowed on his shoulders. The public is indeed traumatized with high levels of criminal activities. To succeed in the fight against crime and criminal activities, Mashatile must boost public trust and bring back confidence in the justice system (Pieterse, 2018). He will have to convene stakeholder meetings who will voice their concerns about the country's security (Oxford, 2021). Young people will voice their concerns on their take on physical and structural violence.

            Additionally, he must invite security experts to guide him in restoring South Africa's security status. Mashatile brings expertise that may have been needed to form his predecessors, who include David Mabuza. Mashatile is said to be President Ramaphosa's new broom. He undertakes his roles as he awaits replacing President Ramaphosa as the next Republic of South Africa President. South Africa is one of Africa's best economies. Most countries see it as the continent's role model, and this is true. Its place on the global map appeals to many. Despite its location and image, it faces lots of political challenges. It is just concluded that the election was a significant voice from the people. The voters just expressed disappointment with the Ramaphosa-led government. The issue of land allocation and distribution came into play on the ballot. Most of the South African lands are ideally taken by the whites. The blacks are left with a mere 2% of the total allocated. The blacks are crying foul as they have been denied their rights in terms of the lands. Punitive laws are blocking them from benefiting from their small tracts of land. Their white counterparts are enjoying all the freedoms attached to the land. The government has failed in promises of better land allocation and recognizing the blacks. South Africans are disappointed by this space. These politics played out in the South African polls that just concluded. The government side was punished in the polls. They lost the majority of the seats in parliament. Secondly, Ramaphosa has no option but to create a national unity government.

            Ramaphosa must work with other parties to form a cohesive government in a country with an expanded economy to succeed in this. Most parties hold that they are ready to work with the government but on some conditions. Some seek lucrative ministerial jobs, while others seek the top position, the deputy president position. Others have decided in some cooperation and hold that President Ramaphosa must resign immediately. President Ramaphosa has seen that it is fit to appoint Mr. Mashatile as his deputy. Mr. Mashatile is seen as his broom sweeping South Africa's political and economic landscape. His role touches the justice and criminal committee and restores the nation's sanity through the government's trust.

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