South Africa need to start building their own oases of order

AT THE risk of stating the obvious to some or sounding like a madman to others, it is patently clear to any realistic liberal in South Africa that true freedom can never be attained through the ballot box — at least not for the foreseeable future.

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Liberals, at least authentic ones, remain a political minority in terms of electoral influence.

Furthermore, the past year and two months under the uneasy marriage between the ANC and DA should serve as a reminder that even parties that we view more favourably for their policy positions (though we should never fully trust them) are capable of deep disappointment when principled action matters most.

On this point, Martin van Staden, the Head of Policy at the Free Market Foundation, correctly noted in November 2024 that the DA and the IFP - two federalist organisations within the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) - have failed, and will likely continue to fail, to demonstrate a genuine commitment to federalism as both a principle and a model of governance.

Those who are curious, or perhaps empathetic, can explore the defences that these organisations have offered.