Critical South
Critical South unpacks political theory in the context of the global south, to help people understand the political developments, ideas , events and issues of the day.
Critical South
South Africa’s electoral reform: a missed opportunity
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In this episode we discuss South Africa’s recent journey of electoral reform.
Dr Sithembile Mbete, who was on the ministerial advisory council, has a hearty one-on-one with Professor Lawrence Hamilton giving us the backstory to the Electoral Amendment Act, signed off by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The act came about after the Constitutional Court ruled that the Electoral Act was unconstitutional and needed to be amended.
But there is still a lot of unhappiness about the legislated changes.
Dr Mbete tells us all about it – and why it’s still problematic.
Delving deeper into electoral reform later in the show she tells us about developing democratic sustenance, on vehicles for political representation, and why the youth are not just not going to the polls anymore.
This spells trouble.
Also, in our political agenda feature we jet to Chile where Dr Camila Vergara tells us how an increase in metro fare in Chile led to a long process of deliberation, dispute and debate that ended in a radical constitution that was never adopted!
And to top it all off, Dr Mbete gives us some critical insights into Julius Malema – the sometimes contentious character behind the men and women in red overalls in South Africa’s parliament.
