An opinion on renewal, coalition governance and the movement’s duty to rebuild local democracy The local government elections on 4 November 2026 will be more than a contest for wards and councils. They will be a referendum on whether the African National Congress can convert its enduring political agency into [...]

“As South Africa selects its next generation of councillors and mayors, public office must be treated as a duty to serve—not a prize to be won.” South Africa has entered the decisive phase of choosing the public representatives who will shape local government after the 4 November 2026 elections. Candidate [...]

“A liberation mandate loses its force when governing power ceases to produce measurable transformation.” Introduction: From Democratic Breakthrough to Developmental Impasse South Africa’s democratic settlement brought antagonistic forces into a shared constitutional order. It rested on a difficult reconciliation between the dispossessor and the dispossessed, and on a public willingness [...]

  The real question before the Commission is whether criminal networks have moved beyond influencing the state to operating through its police, intelligence and prosecution machinery South Africans may be watching the Madlanga Commission as a parade of allegations, denials, names and institutional intrigue. But its deepest significance lies elsewhere. [...]