South Africa at 30: Navigating the legacy of policy versus lived realities
Posted: 10 June, 2024 Filed under: Naledi Joyi | Tags: apartheid, coalition government, community development, democracy, democratic principles, economic empowerment, education, equality, freedom, historical injustices, human rights violations, justice, pit toilets, serious crimes, socio-economic challenges, South Africa, structural inequalities, sustainable peace, violence 1 Comment
Author: Naledi Joyi
Gender Officer, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
After three decades of democracy, South Africa stands at a crossroads grappling with the interplay between policy aspirations and lived realities of the majority of the black population. The country boasts one of the most progressive constitutions globally because it is based on equality, freedom and justice. Yet the lived realities of its citizens leave one asking ‘what good is a constitution if it cannot be implemented?’. Although policies to address historical injustices and structural inequalities have been developed, implementation has been a challenge leaving many of the previously disadvantaged populations still disadvantaged, resulting in the country being dubbed the most unequal society in the world, with the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. The country’s identity is closely linked with violence, entrenched in the legacy of apartheid, which used violence as a method of control.
The decline of democracy and the rise of coup d’états in Sub-Saharan Africa: Reflections and lessons
Posted: 25 February, 2022 Filed under: Garang Yach James | Tags: civil unrest, civil uprisings, coup d'états, gun class, human insecurities, human security, Independent Electoral Commission, militarisation of politics, military takeover, political fiasco, Republic of South Sudan, South Sudan military, stable democracies, structural inequalities Leave a comment
Author: Garang Yach J
South Sudanese Political and security analyst and PhD Student, University of Juba, South Sudan
Summary
Although coup d’états have been straddling the African continent since the 1960s, their recent resurfacing and rise is a reverse to the democratic consolidation in the Sub-Saharan African region. In this article I try to locate the trends of coups in the history of the region in order to showcase the existing susceptibility of the states in the region. I further advance the argument that militarisation of politics, the dominant military aristocracy and proclivity to change constitutions in order to extend term and age limits, delays in holding free and fair elections are among the reasons why democracy is declining, and coups are on rise in the region. I also present a compelling argument that failure to incorporate human security into governance is stifling democracy and resuscitation of coup tendencies. The article concludes that military metiers in the Sub-Saharan region have entrenched themselves and apply mock democracy to actuate militaristic propensity. Finally, the article gives four recommendations that would improve democratic governance and mitigate trends of unconstitutional change of government in the region.
AfricLaw 