The State of Democracy in South Africa

Authors

Heidi van Dyk, Lindenwood UniversityFollow

Student Type

Undergraduate

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Abstract:

On pen and paper, the country of South Africa fulfills the requirements to be a democracy. However, the country has been evaluated to be a flawed democracy and there is an elevated warning issued for the state by The Fragile State Index. This research seeks to find the root causes contributing to the decline of the state of democracy in South Africa. This state plays an important role in global politics. South Africa is a member of both G20 and BRICS, which are influential groups in the global arena. Further, the country exercises considerable regional influence as well as being among the top exporters of platinum, iron, and coal. The role that South Africa plays on the global stage makes the country’s state of democracy an international concern. Additionally, South Africa operates under a parliamentary republic system of government, similar to many other nations including the United Kingdom. Yet these other nations do not face the same state of democracy as South Africa. Consequently, the decline of the state of democracy in South Africa is not a result of its system of government. Rather, it is a result of the political culture within the country. Although political culture is notoriously difficult to quantify or measure, several factors can offer insight into the matter. More specifically, factors in South Africa that contribute to the political culture include corruption, voter participation, and inequality. In turn, these factors negatively impact the political culture within the country, which leads to the troubling political trajectory that can be seen today.

Author Bio

Heidi Van Dyk is a senior in Political Science at Lindenwood University.

Recommended Citation

van Dyk, Heidi (2024) "The State of Democracy in South Africa," The Confluence: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2150-2633.1055
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theconfluence/vol3/iss2/7

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Date

November 28, 2023