Why the GNU holds no promise for true democracy

There has been a steady erosion of democratic responsiveness

- MPHUMZI MDEKAZI

THIRTY years ago, South Africa captivated the world with its peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy.

That moment was not the endpoint of struggle but rather, as Nelson Mandela reminded us, "only the beginning of our long walk to freedom".

The architects of our democratic order laid out a vision of inclusive political rights, redress for historical injustice, and a developmental state capable of transforming our socio-economic landscape.

But today, as we stand at the confluence of hope and frustration, we must ask: what has become of that vision? And more provocatively: has freedom as we imagined it been deferred, diluted, or even betrayed?

To answer this, we must confront uncomfortable truths. While the Constitution remains a remarkable achievement - a globally admired charter for human rights and democratic governance - constitutionalism alone has proven to be insufficient to deliver material socio-economic transformation. South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. Youth unemployment approaches 45%, and inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, is structurally embedded. The liberation dividend has not reached the majority in any sustained or equitable way.

This is not merely a failure of policy; it is a deeper crisis on the lack of political will, glorified mediocrity, lack of institutional coherence, and paucity of ethical leadership at almost all levels.

Frantz Fanon warned in The Wretched of the Earth, that: “The national middle class discovers its historical mission: that of intermediary... It turns its back on the general masses, arrogantly ignores them, and ventures to seek its own salvation.”

Yes, it does because in post-apartheid South Africa, many of our political, economic and bureaucratic elites have indeed pursued a narrow, transactional nationalism, one that privileges elite incorporation over systemic transformation.