Would Mandela be proud of the progress South Africa has made?
Over the years, millions of people have dedicated at least 67 minutes of their time to give back, reflecting the 67 years Mandela spent in service to the people as well as recognising his values and contribution to the struggle for democracy.
However, South Africans have mixed feelings about the progress the country has made since the end of apartheid.
While South Africa has made significant strides in human rights, concerns have been raised about high levels of poverty, unemployment, inequality and crime, with little progress made in these areas.
As we reflect on Mandela's legacy, do you think Madiba would look back and be proud of the state of the country or is he turning in his grave?
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Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
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SACP hits back at ANC over ultimatum to ‘choose a side' before 2026 elections
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'In our view, the resolution of the SACP is forcing members to choose between the ANC and the SACP. So the notion of dual membership doesn't fall away, but the implication of that decision essentially says, choose between the ANC and the SACP,' Mbalula said on Wednesday, 7 August. He was briefing journalists at the party's headquarters, Luthuli House, on the resolutions of the NEC's meeting over the weekend. The SACP is of a different view. It believes that dual membership has long been central to the alliance and cannot be dismissed due to electoral competition. SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said, 'The principle of dual membership in the alliance predates the electoral era of the South African revolution. The inconveniences of the era of elections should not be used to justify undermining the centrality of the principle of dual membership.' 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The by-election followed the dissolution of the 2016 municipal council due to political instability. Two weeks ago, the party contested yet another by-election, this time in Polokwane, and garnered only 70 votes, representing just 1%. Despite underperforming, Mandlana said the party had learnt lessons which would be key in the 2026 polls. 'Winning or failing to win at this point was not the focal point, but evaluating these dynamics by being on the ground was more primary than other considerations. To that end, the SACP derives neither disappointment nor satisfaction from the numerical results, but key strategic lessons to build from,' he said. Clinging on In a week or two, the NEC will hold a special meeting which will look at local government issues. Mbalula said the NEC would also use that meeting to finalise its position on how the two parties would work together, heading into the elections. Mbalula appeared to suggest that there would still be engagements with the SACP, possibly to reverse the decision, but this would be possible only once the party held its next congress. 'We may as well fail, at some point, to persuade them out of this thing of contesting for elections. And when that happens, we are now going to have to look into, in the next two weeks, the implications of this decision and how we are going to operate as the two parties going forward, because there's a lot of implications in relation to this decision,' Mbalula said. Mandlana said the talks between the SACP and ANC were simply an attempt by the two allies to work out how their alliance should function under new circumstances, especially now that the Communist Party was on the ballot for the first time since 1994. 'Persuasion to change the party decision was never on the table, in truth,' he said. Expanding the GNU The ANC is also dealing with challenges concerning the Government of National Unity (GNU). Last week, party president Cyril Ramaphosa said the NEC had reaffirmed that forming the GNU over a year ago was the right decision, as it had brought about stability. However, the NEC has also resolved to reconfigure the GNU and engage with political parties outside the current arrangement, specifically those aligned with the ANC's objectives that the party wouldn't need to constantly negotiate with for support on key parliamentary votes. The aim is to stabilise governance and push through important reforms. This follows the GNU's fragility since its formation, as well as ongoing policy differences. When asked how this reconfiguration would work and whether the ANC had considered the views of its current partners, particularly the DA, Mbalula said the party would first speak to existing members of the GNU. 'We have been mandated in terms of the Statement of Intent; we have to talk to the partners in the GNU, which is what we are going to do,' Mbalula said.
Mail & Guardian
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SACP set on ‘divorcing' the ANC
Going it alone: The ANC is not happy with the decision by the SACP to contest elections independently of its alliance partner. Photo: File The communist party has rejected overtures from its alliance partner and will contest the 2026 local government elections independently This content is restricted to subscribers only . Join the M&G Community Our commitment at the Mail & Guardian is to ensure every reader enjoys the finest experience. Join the M&G community and support us in delivering in-depth news to you consistently. Subscription enables: - M&G community membership - independent journalism - access to all premium articles & features - a digital version of the weekly newspaper - invites to subscriber-only events - the opportunity to test new online features first Already a subscriber?
The Herald
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DStv drops 'Open Chats Podcast' after controversial comments about coloured community
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