ABSTRACT
A genuine democracy can almost be defined in terms of the existence of an effective opposition. However, in contexts where democracy is fragile because of factors such as ethnic divisions or religious conflicts, strong oppositions and/or robust strategies may endanger democracy itself. In contemporary South Africa political loyalties are in large part determined by race and ethnicity. Political parties do not share a common view of the nature of politics. For historical reasons, the ruling African National Congress has an historic mission to transform the racial nature of the political economy, while the major opposition parties have a more modest and instrumental view of the political process. The context is therefore not favourable to textbook liberal democracy. However, if a core value of opposition is to contribute towards government accountability, other factors – the vertical restraints on power, and the influence of globalization – may serve to improve the prospects for democracy significantly. Thus despite an unfavourable context for functioning democracy – a dominant party, weak and fragmented opposition parties, and an historical legacy of racism and inequality – democracy may yet survive. It will not be the democracy that South Africa deserves but it may be the democracy that it can sustain.
