Democracy Archives - Page 5 of 24 - FW de Klerk Foundation

THE COST OF COLLAPSE: HOW MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION IS DISMANTLING THE VAAL TRIANGLE’S ECONOMY

2026-06-23

Spending two days in this municipality exposes the stark reality of its collapse. The former heartbeat of the South African economy has been reduced to a dilapidated landscape scarred by massive, neglected potholes and failing public utilities. Residents are left to navigate a complete infrastructural mess, a reality made all the more frustrating by the nearly R700 million that was spent on municipal employee overtime between 2019 and 2025, despite consistently worsening service delivery.

FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES DOWNLOADABLE PDF VERSION OF “WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?” – THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION GUIDE 2026

2026-06-22

The FW de Klerk Foundation and its partners have released the free downloadable PDF version of Whose Responsibility Is It Anyway? The Local Government Election Guide 2026. Written in clear and accessible language, the guide explains local government, voter registration, municipal accountability and the importance of participating in the 2026 local elections. It is the first instalment of a three-part civic-education series designed to help South Africans move from registration to informed participation and continued accountability.

THE WARD COUNCILLOR YOU’VE NEVER MET IS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE

2026-06-19

As first appeared in Sunday World. With local election turnout declining and youth disengagement deepening, too many South Africans remain disconnected from the ward councillors and municipalities that shape their daily lives. A new civic research initiative seeks to turn citizens’ experiences into evidence that can strengthen democratic participation, service delivery and municipal accountability ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION URGES PARLIAMENT TO ACT ON R1 BILLION MILITARY HOSPITAL FAILURE

2026-06-18

The FW de Klerk Foundation urges Parliament to act to ensure that public funds are used efficiently, economically, effectively, and transparently. The Foundation is concerned about the repair and maintenance project at Tshwane’s 1 Military Hospital. More than R1 billion has been spent, yet the project remains incomplete. Government is now considering a new facility.

STATE ABDICATION AND INCAPABILITY: THE CATALYST FOR VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION, AND LAWLESSNESS

2026-06-15

South Africa possesses one of the world’s most progressive constitutions and highly sophisticated policy frameworks. Yet, a catastrophic disconnect exists across every tier of governance: chronic state inaction and regulatory blindness, followed inevitably by frantic, performative, and costly reactive crisis management.

LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION PARLIAMENTARY DISRUPTION RESEARCH

2026-06-08

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Presidency’s response to its research on the financial and constitutional cost of parliamentary disruptions. The Foundation’s analysis shows that disrupted sittings can cost taxpayers thousands of rand per minute while weakening Parliament’s duty to hold the Executive accountable. Following the Presidency’s encouragement, the Foundation will now engage Parliament directly on stronger accountability, consequence management and respect for South Africa’s constitutional institutions.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS FAILING SOUTH AFRICANS – HERE IS HOW WE FIX IT

2026-06-04

For millions of South Africans, the Constitution promises open, accountable and responsive government, dignity, equality and access to basic services like water. Yet for many communities, those promise collapses at local government level. Water taps run dry, refuse is not collected, potholes are permanent and corruption goes unpunished.

SECURING THE FOUNDATION OF PROSPERITY: WHY SOUTH AFRICA MUST EXPAND, NOT ABOLISH, PROPERTY RIGHTS

2026-06-04

Three decades after South Africa’s transition to a non-racial democracy, the country’s unresolved land question remains one of its most volatile political and economic fault lines. Recently, calls to abolish private land ownership have resurfaced with renewed vigor. Promoted by political figures such as Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), this populist rhetoric advocates for the elimination of private property in favour of total state ownership or state trusteeship.

WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

2026-06-01

South Africa’s local government elections are approaching at a time of real unemployment, service delivery and governance failures, but xenophobic mobilisation is directing public anger at the wrong target. The article argues that anti-immigrant protests undermine constitutional accountability by replacing demands for competent local government with scapegoating, fear and unlawful vigilantism. The FW de Klerk Foundation warns that South Africa’s genuine grievances must be resolved through the rule of law, democratic accountability and constitutional governance – not hostility toward vulnerable minorities.

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THE COST OF COLLAPSE: HOW MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION IS DISMANTLING THE VAAL TRIANGLE’S ECONOMY

FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES DOWNLOADABLE PDF VERSION OF “WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?” – THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION GUIDE 2026

THE WARD COUNCILLOR YOU’VE NEVER MET IS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE

THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION URGES PARLIAMENT TO ACT ON R1 BILLION MILITARY HOSPITAL FAILURE

STATE ABDICATION AND INCAPABILITY: THE CATALYST FOR VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION, AND LAWLESSNESS

LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION PARLIAMENTARY DISRUPTION RESEARCH

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS FAILING SOUTH AFRICANS – HERE IS HOW WE FIX IT

SECURING THE FOUNDATION OF PROSPERITY: WHY SOUTH AFRICA MUST EXPAND, NOT ABOLISH, PROPERTY RIGHTS

WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

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