DDP Multi-party Forum

The Democracy Development Program NPC convened a thought-provoking multi-political party forum where political parties engaged with the public and expressed their manifestos and visions for South Africa. Our partner, the Centre for the Advancement of Non-racialism and Democracy, was represented by Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, who gave an insightful analysis that encourages continued interactions between citizens and political parties that claim to represent them.

In his opening address, our executive director, Dr Paul Kariuki, expressed great appreciation to the parties that honored the invitation and the participants from various areas in Durban. He lamented that people complain about leadership every day, and some have become disillusioned with their leaders and, for some, even democracy as an idea. Dr Paul encouraged participants to continue to hold their leaders accountable. He emphasized that ‘Bad leaders stay in power because good citizens have decided to do nothing about it’.

The DDP senior program officer Sphamandla Brian Mhlongo, who was facilitating the program, highlighted that multi-party forums have been crucial for South Africa’s democratic transition and important for establishing a platform for citizens to publicly share their views, critique, and question the parties about their promises.

The focus for this forum was on understanding the stance of the political parties on the triple threat challenges, Inequality and unemployment, Poverty. He dissected the importance of understanding this phenomenon as it has a direct impact on how people perceive democracy, participate in electoral processes, and make decisions on voting.

Political parties that were represented are; ActionSA, Rise Mzansi, Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and United Democratic Movement (UDM). All the parties were given an opportunity to elaborate their manifesto and how they are planning to address the triple threat challenges, furthermore participants had an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the representatives.

Professor Mngomezulu in his closing remarks focusing on the campaigns leading towards the National and Provincial Elections 2024 (NPE). He cautioned political parties that elections should not be about eliminating each but a means to get an opportunity to lead communities.

To conclude, it is important to remember that holding government and political parties accountable is not only on the election day, but a continuous process of being an active citizen. DDP encourages everyone to exercise their civic duty to protect democracy and create the leaders they are seeking for. Your vote is your power. Make your vote count!

Watch the full event video here.