Nomboniso Gasa: "Quality of Democracy Is Poor in Rural South Africa"

Following the ANC's robust win at the polls in South Africa's 2014 General Elections, on 22 May 2014, SACSIS and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation hosted a panel discussion under the banner: "Will the ANC rule until Jesus returns?"

The primary impetus for this question is the fact that the ANC won the General Election this year, despite its leader being tarnished by major corruption scandals and the party's service delivery record being less than exemplary. Meanwhile South Africa's inequality too has worsened under the ANC's rule. So what is the ANC's secret? How does it manage to stay in power despite its poor track record?

The panellists at this the event were, Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand; Jonny Steinberg, lecturer in African Studies at the University of Oxford; Nomboniso Gasa, researcher, analyst and public speaker on gender, politics, leadership and cultural issues; and Steven Friedman, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg.

Nomboniso Gasa argued that as long as the ANC frames the parameters of the conversation in South Africa, they are going to win.

However, she argued that the rural areas ought not to be seen as a homogenous group.

She said that the death of mineworkers had a deeply spiritual impact on the people of rural areas and that the fear that people have of mine related violence manifests itself in different ways in that part of the world.

Gasa said it was immaterial to her whether or not the ANC ruled for the next century. What concerned her was the question of the quality of our democracy under the leadership of the ANC. She argued that the quality of democracy in rural areas was very poor.

Visit the SACSIS You Tube channel to hear what the other panellists had to say.