An Evaluation of the South African Democracy on its 30th anniversary: A distribution of power and wealth perspective
The problem statement in this article is that South African democracy, often lauded as one of the best democracies in the world due to its constitution, is marred by a high rate of Poverty, Unemployment, and Inequality (PUI) - a stark contrast to the ideal of democracy as the sharing of power and ec...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Stellenbosch theological journal
Year: 2024, Volume: 10, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-18 |
| Further subjects: | B
Power and distribution
B Democracy B power and distribution B Success B Wealth |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The problem statement in this article is that South African democracy, often lauded as one of the best democracies in the world due to its constitution, is marred by a high rate of Poverty, Unemployment, and Inequality (PUI) - a stark contrast to the ideal of democracy as the sharing of power and economic resources. This article will delve into the reality of South Africa’s democracy, evaluating it from the distribution of power and wealth. The assumption is that a democratic country that has a high rate of PUI is a failed democracy. I will highlight the origin of democracy from the city-states to compare the South African democracy from that perspective. Secondly, I will reflect on the different methods of democracy and their challenges. Thirdly, I will reflect on the PUI levels in South Africa. Fourthly, I will reflect on the circulation of wealth amongst South Africans. The assumption is that an imbalanced distribution of wealth indicates a failed democracy. Finally, I will propose that the distribution of power through elections, imbizo, Local councils, and ward committees through participatory democracy should reflect the distribution of wealth to the people of South Africa. The Universal Income Grant (UIG) should be introduced to narrow the gap between PUIs in South Africa. To summarise, this paper advocates for a more equitable distribution of power and wealth in South Africa, with the Universal Income Grant serving as a potential solution to the country’s high PUI rates. The approach in this paper is the normative-descriptive approach within Political theology. |
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| ISSN: | 2413-9467 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Stellenbosch theological journal
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.17570/stj.2024.v10n1.22 |
