South Africa is a nation fuelled by hope, circumventing the hate that fuels many political engagements and dynamics around the world. However, as struggle becomes synonymous with the South African people, could we be on track for a shift in political engagement and our expectations of political parties?
The premise of hope must be established as the optimism that the country will improve. There is an absence of believed failure and a commitment to a guaranteed goal and future. This, over the years, has changed the narrative for South Africa. In the earliest days of democracy, it was sold as the “rainbow nation”. In more modern days, Ramaphoria and the government of national unity aim to provide absolute optimism to the public and discourse; however, these remain directly opposed to reality.
With many South Africans starting to move away from the dreams, promises and narratives that once fuelled the public to engage blindly, they begin to take a more reactive and radical approach to politics. In the absence of universities quelling protests with great efficacy, campuses would continue to be the epicentre of political change. Now, with restrictions on political engagement and outcry by political minds in the youth, it frames a new capacity for new political entities to engage in the discussion.
The rise of the left in South Africa frames a harsher and truer reality for the country: a nation with little opportunity, biased media and centralised wealth among a few families. There are calls for the system that has governed South Africa during and post-apartheid to be challenged and fundamentally changed. Yet the same elements of hope remain.
In this messaging lies the belief and aspiration that everyone — more particularly, oneself — will be prioritised in a redistributed South Africa. It holds the same promise that BEE once had, where opportunities were going to be provided to all South Africans.
Yet the same system that placed wealth in the hands of a few families replicated that among black South Africans. This means there ought to be a degree of scepticism when engaging in narratives that promise improvement simply as a result of liberation.
In all cases — past, present or foreseeable future — there continues to be a clear disconnect between the narratives and their application in politics. The continued failure to engage in discourse in a reaffirming manner, rather than one riddled with scepticism, harms the credibility of politics and the trust enforced between voters in South Africa. The promise of multiparty democracy is the promise of representation and accountability.
However, at various steps, all parties have failed their constituents and have failed to rectify the situation, apologise and improve. The individualistic approach to politics continues to fuel a world of politics where hate and disagreements become the centre of engagement.
In a world that prioritises this discourse, politicians become incentives to other parties and create strong party identities that influence larger civil society engagements. Much of this is caused by narratives that tend to be rid of fiction and devoid of truth-telling and legitimate accountability.
Unless the GNU delivers on the promises made not only to their respective constituencies but to all South Africans of all walks of life, there is a fear that South African politics will shift to one of persecution and division if there is no clear, collective-driven unity.
There needs to be a shift from political promises to accountability and action to bring South Africans back into the conversation. Additionally, there is a need to realign national interests to one focused on preserving community and humanity. The world continues to be fuelled by international and political instability.
The desire for the world to force people to choose sides and form identities provides the context for extremist views to govern and justify extreme actions. In a world where communities are at each other's heads, there is a need to form strong local identities and unify national agendas, with hopes of focusing local communities and co-operation among people from different walks of life.
South Africa politically is in an interesting space both locally and internationally. This is the time we need unity and collective government action that is for the people so that the extremism that seems to be spreading across the world does not infiltrate our country. But for that to happen, the promises need to be fulfilled — at least for a moment.
• 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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