South Africa: There Can Be No Renaissance for SA Without Abandoning the National Democratic Revolution

Paul Hoffman SC is a director of Accountability Now.

Step one towards the envisaged renaissance is the ending of the National Democratic Revolution as we know it in favour of a wholehearted embrace of the values of the Constitution. If the ANC is not up to the task, the long-suffering electorate, as an act of self-preservation, must vote the ANC into obscurity.

An op-ed article by Joel Netshitenzhe, “South Africa’s post-disaster choices: Social upheaval, Dictatorship or Renaissance?” (9 March), has been given appropriate prominence by Daily Maverick. The headline fairly summarises the content of the article.

Social upheaval and dictatorship are not palatable options for most South Africans. They took to the streets and malls with brooms and mops after the mini social upheaval in July 2021. With vim and vigour, they set about cleaning up the mess made by opportunists who had been egged on to loot and destroy by that ever-dwindling band of supporters of former president Jacob Zuma, after he was briefly jailed.

Zuma has contrived to await trial on charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering that have been pending since 2005 when his financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted for corrupting him. That conviction…