Who drives politics in South Africa? Who truly fuels the incentives and narratives that politicians construct and simplify for citizens to latch on to? For many, it would be the politicians themselves, but for some, it would be the private sector, big business and wealthy individuals.
With growing concerns that politics is moving further from the people, we need to investigate the numbers. To go back to before the first democratic election, the private sector recognised the need to be involved in the political transition within South Africa.
With the looming threat of a nationalist state, which at the time was being proposed by the ANC, there was a threat to capital and the profits business could make. Peter du Toit, in ANC Billionaires, discusses at length the influence and role business played in the transition to democracy. However, even then, it is unclear if business was doing it for its own interests or actually cared about the wellbeing of the average South African.
More than 30 years removed from those negotiations — negotiations that defined the fate and future of many South Africans, and which many were not witness to — it feels as if business continues to propagate itself rather than address the needs of the people. With millions of people falling below the poverty line and being left without jobs, education, and the ability to survive, there is a need for adequate solutions that prioritise the people and ensure their basic needs are met.
This is where the problem lies: major media entities and newly founded political parties further factionalised South Africa, leaving many without a clear solution.
Acknowledging that the ruling party, the ANC, has been insufficient in providing basic necessities to the most vulnerable communities is important. It would be assumed that the parties who advocate for the mobilisation and prioritisation of the people would be favoured. Yet, due to the lack of social capital the black majority holds, they have an incapacity to combat big capital.
In this year's election, we saw the establishment of new parties. Most notably were Rise Mzansi, Build One South Africa and ActionSA, which was not as new. These parties collectively received R86.1m. Despite not existing for more than a decade, there was a clear disparity in the parties and the ability for big business to prop up political entities, even when they are not aligned with the people.
Collectively not amassing more than 3% in the national election, they were the talk of the town. They drowned out many parties that advocated more closely for the man on the ground. Furthermore, in the media, there was a discrediting of the influence the Left was to play in the election. With the Mkhonto we Sizwe party taking everyone by surprise, holding 14.58% of the vote, it was evident there were political agendas being pushed by those who control the media and how it should be communicated.
This is where the problem lies: major media entities and newly founded political parties further factionalised South Africa, leaving many without a clear solution. Already, in a country where voter apathy is growing among the youth in parallel with a high youth unemployment rate, politics seems to be used for the benefit of a select few who have the capital and power.
The most apparent risk is that South Africa as a whole will begin to lose faith in the political system. Already, with many believing the ANC has contradicted its principles and turned to rule with “white” rule, the risk of politics no longer being about the people has become more evident than ever before. Instead of political parties with policies, experience and vision being provided a platform to advocate and truly represent their constituencies, they are drowned out by parties that are supported by big capital.
This, combined with the lack of balanced reporting and independent media not tied to the same individuals who donate to these parties en masse, creates a need for a new alignment and a new system that enshrines itself in the fight for African people.
The Oppenheimer family and Martin Marshall continue to forward their own agendas that disregard the needs of the people. There will continue to be a growing sense of disillusionment for those who do not have the political and social capital to ensure their thoughts and ideas are prioritised.
In some capacity, there is an argument that there should be a greater separation between capital and politics to ensure that people are put at the centre of government rather than the needs and interests of big capital. However, these people are citizens too and thus have the Right to support whom they want, whenever they want, however they want.
As we begin to evaluate and unpack the decisions that went into producing the government of national unity and propping up these political parties in one of the most historic elections in South African history, we must not forget to ask, how did this benefit the people?
In the end, we will never truly know the incentives of politicians or people in the private sector. We will never know what they were thinking and how they felt when they made certain decisions. But without a doubt, we will remember those who were forced to suffer in silence as a result of their lack of social and political capital due to an unjust system that once excluded them and now might even forget them.
Khumo Kumalo is a political science student, founder of Misunderstood website and also hosts a podcast that discusses a multitude of topics, from elections in South Africa to the Israel and Palestine crisis.
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