The populists are in town
With 29 May fast approaching, politicians smelling the ANC’s blood in the water are using whatever tool they can to appeal to voters.
In some cases, this means pulling out well-worn tropes, which create the impression that they have the voters’ interests at heart, but are actually just manipulative phrases to win back power.
The 2024 election sees the ANC entering on the back foot. The governing party goes into these elections with a track record of a poorly performing economy, growing unemployment, decaying institutions, increasing crime and ongoing corruption hanging around its neck.
Politicians, desperate to step into the gap, resort to tired ideologies, policies that have no place in a democratic system, or stirring up racial tensions.
In this week’s Friday Briefing, we take a look at the phenomenon of populist politicians and whether their “promises”, such as removing “foreigners” or changing the Constitution, attract voters.
News24’s assistant editor for politics and opinion, Qaanitah Hunter, reflects on why, in South Africa’s case, some controversial statements from so-called leaders resonate with voters.
To better understand what some of these leaders have been saying to win votes, News24’s in-depth writer Muhammad Hussain combed through some of the election speeches and manifestos.
We also have a submission from LGBTQI activist Matuba Mahlatjie who examined the “pink vote” specifically and whether politicians are being savvy when they choose to target the community, especially in light of the fact that there are more than 600 000 people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer in South Africa. That’s quite a big voting block.
Finally, advocate Ben Winks details why, in some cases, politicians can get away with saying what they do despite laws and regulations. He then examines what he thinks should be done to fix this.
It may be a long weekend, but it is an important read before the elections, and we hope you find it engaging.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions editor.
The populists have taken the stage of the 2024 political theatre
The 2024 election campaign has abounded with populist rhetoric from all corners of the political terrain as political rivalry intensifies amid the possibility that the ANC may lose its majority nationally for the first time since democracy, writes Qaanitah Hunter.
