Too much power in one person’s hands
Questions are being increasingly asked about whether there are any aspects of South Africa’s model constitution, adopted in 1996, that ought to be amended to…
Articles
Democracy Works produces opinion pieces and more journalistic reporting which we share with our media partners where we can.
This page captures these articles.
South Africa must confront the roots of its xenophobic violence
The wave of deadly xenophobic attacks against foreigners of African descent that has shamed South Africa, and the astonishingly tardy response by the government,…
The End of the Rainbow Nation Myth
If you ask South Africans of my generation to name the most important political event of their lives, many will cite the assassination of…
OSISA State of the Nation Presentation: Tipping point- when citizens lose all faith in the system
On 20 February 2015 Democracy Works’ William Gumede presented his analysis of the State of the Nation for a mixed audience of academics, professionals…
Churches ruthlessly exploit insecurities
Failures by mainstream churches to find answers to the causes of African angst have pushed people into the hands of avaricious charismatic churches. Charismatic…
The backlash against African women
A few weeks ago, as I was leaving my office, I stopped at a traffic light and watched a young woman cross the street…
Populism not the answer
Despite the new focus on Africa’s angry youth, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in South Africa, and the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) are…
Can Libya’s House of Representatives restore order? – A true national dialogue is underway in Tripoli’s legislature
On 25 June 2014, Libyans voted in their second democratic election. In an effort to curtail the violent impact of factionalism on the polls,…
On youth participation in politics with William Gumede
On Monday 15 September 2014, the world celebrated the 7th International Day of Democracy. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe…
Mulder and Mantashe: ‘Whites’ vs ‘Africans’
Christi van der Westhuizen examines the operations of ‘whiteness’ and claims of ‘Africanness’ in recent comments by Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder and ANC…