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The expansion of social grants has been one of the most significant redistributive measures in democratic South Africa. Grants now support millions of children, older persons, and people with disabilities.
 (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Community mobilisation is the answer to rising populism in South Africa

By fostering unity, communities can be empowered to hold public and private institutions accountable

Former Free State premier Ace Magashule. (Mlungisi Louw/Volksblad/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

You can’t ace politics using cheap populism, Magashule

Former Free State premier Ace Magashule used Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s legacy to prop himself up but it was all public relations, with no substance

This photo taken on August 31, 2022 at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow shows the grave of Raisa Gorbacheva, the wife of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who played a major role in ending the Cold War, and died in Moscow on August 30, 2022 aged 91. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Populism based not in patriotism, but in many nationalisms

Because populism is a pre-political idea, it can fracture the sense of collective identity that is necessary to uphold a liberal democracy, especially in nations with conflict in…

Prime Minister Liz Truss speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London. (Photo by House of Commons/PA Images via Getty Images)

South Africa’s ANC, like the Tories, rides the ‘tiger’ of populism

Drunk on hubris, the UK’s Tory party has followed a populist path to instability. The ANC and its opposition peers follow a similar path

Mail & Gaurdian

Editorial: Will the ANC see its next milestone?

How much more time does the ANC have before losing the country? It’s the question of the next decade, or for the next two years, as the 2024 general election looms.

Mail & Gaurdian

Editorial: We have reason to hope for better days

Despite our dalliances with the “end of the world” narratives, we are still here.

(John McCann/M&G)

Masses lulled by South Africa’s wealthy and powerful

The people need to remove their blinkers and reclaim their minds to achieve a better future

Mail & Gaurdian

Editorial: Constitutional Amendment Bill on land is a spectacular and expected failure

When the ANC introduced the Amendment Bill, it must have been apparent it would lose, having failed to secure an agreement with any other party beforehand

(John McCann/M&G)

The C-word is for coalitions, not centrism

With such a low voter turnout, government legitimacy is stretched to breaking point

Employers affected by the recent unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal will be able to apply for support through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) as soon as next week. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

The explosive mix of multilevel factors explain the violence amid the looting

The social, political and economic problems of poor governance need to be fixed so that public resources are managed and distributed equally

Fees Must Fall: South Africa’s youth did not expect to be agitating for access to education after the advent of democracy, but neoliberal ANC policies have unfairly excluded mostly black students, which has led to student militantism and disillusionment with the ruling party. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Will the EFF capitalise on the ANC’s governance failures?

Good election outcomes for the party will mean Julius Malema’s dangerous racism will again receive airtime

A new generation: Uganda’s Bobi Wine (right) smiles as he is nominated as the president of his new political party. Photo: Sumy Sadurni/AFP

Populism faces test in Uganda and Kenya

Bobi Wine and William Ruto set out to upend the political status quo in their respective countries

(Graphic: John McCann/M&G)

Eusebius McKaiser: Reject the dichotomy of political horrors

Senekal shows us that we must make a stand against the loud voice of the populist EFF and racist rightwingers

(John McCan/M&G)

The pandemic creates ideal conditions for the rise of populism

The state of politics and geopolitics has been exacerbated, rather than stabilised, by the coronavirus crisis

Blame: South Africans

No African is a foreigner in Africa – except down in South Africa

In sorrow over the way migrants are treated in South Africa, Achille Mbembe calls for Africa to adopt a pro-migration stance

Lesetja Kganyago, governor of the South African Reserve Bank, warns that populism rises in countries with high levels of inequality

The price of populism

The mistakes of the past should inform the politics of the future to ensure transformation, equality and economic growth

Italy’s Minister of Labour and Industry Luigi Di Maio gestures next to Interior Minister Matteo Salvini after the sworn-in ceremony in Rome, Italy. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)

National-populism: A new global model is born

The new model brings together fake social care, exacerbated nationalism and a compensatory pro-business approach

Kenya’s Raila Odinga is often described as a populist but his manifestos reveal the policy concerns of a social democrat, although his campaigns have populist elements and have coalesced over popular grievances. (Marco Longari/AFP)

Africa is urbanising fast – and its leaders are struggling to adapt

Expanding cities will fundamentally change politics on the continent

Rural people are dispossessed and displaced by companies that collect awards for ESG credentials, corporate social investment and sector excellence.
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Letters to the editor: August 3 to 9

Our readers write in about taxi violence, populism, and ‘slanted’ reporting

Salvini needs to choose between revolution and the restoration. Whether to leave Berlusconi

Italy votes in uncertain election stalked by populism

Tensions between far-right and anti-fascist activists have marred a gloomy campaign dominated by fears about immigration and economic malaise.