Stephen Grootes

Parties in the national coalition agree they need to grow the economy, but debates on how they'll address the structural issues have been muted. Colin Coleman's recent proposals highlight how politics might hamper radical reform.

The recent high-level resignations from the EFF demonstrate the consequences of mismanaging a political party. They also show what can happen when a party loses votes and momentum in an election. All of this contains lessons for other political parties about why party members need to know they could one day be a leader, why it's bad policy to accept defectors and what happens if a party is centred on one personality.

The latest revelation about what appears to be yet another case of tender corruption in the National Department of Health may well prove that despite major political changes, corruption in the government health sector continues unabated. Millions of rands are still being stolen. The ANC appears to understand this and yet does nothing, which poses risks to the party’s coalition partners.

The ANC should be focusing on improving governance and working towards the local government elections, but confirmation this week that the party's NEC will decide whether to disband its Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces only at its last meeting of the year shows it has not been able to fully respond to the shock of this year's elections. It also shows how high the stakes are for 2026.

As voters in the US choose between the forces of populism and constitutionalism, it’s worth assessing the strength of populism in SA. The current coalition is a concentration of parties in the centre of our politics, but the racialised inequality that defines our society will always give populists and populism strength.

The latest apparent spat between the ANC and the DA on foreign policy has led to many claims and accusations. Unfortunately, these are not all grounded in evidence. Rather, this argument should be seen for what it is – different parties with different constituencies having very different views of the world, and thus having different interests. Yet it does raise important questions about party funding.

While our politicians often dive into the realm of identity politics, the Constitutional Court will now have to make a decision about dual citizenship that could reopen many difficult arguments. At the heart of the legal case is whether one person, in this case, the Home Affairs minister, should have the power to decide whether one person is legally a South African, and another is not. This can lead to debates about what defines a South African.

Recent events in our politics have revealed some of the underlying tensions in parties like MK, the EFF and the Patriotic Alliance, that may undermine their efforts to win elections in the future. Coming so soon after the re-election of a populist president in the US, this shows the importance of proper party organisation. It may also show how difficult building a party can be if there are high levels of distrust in an organisation.

Confirmation from the National Treasury that it is considering what a national ‘wealth tax’ might include may kickstart another series of debates about our racialised inequality. Despite many promises from the ANC over the years, no such tax has been implemented. But, coming as it does amid more debates around a basic income grant, and during a coalition, it is likely that this idea could gain some currency. But in the end, giving a government that wastes money more money to waste is probably counterproductive.

The decision by the communications minister, the DA's Solly Malatsi, to withdraw the SABC Bill from Parliament may mark the beginning of a new phase in the national coalition. Coming amid tensions over the NHI Bill and the Bela Act, this could lead to a few difficult months for the coalition. However, the fundamental reasons for the leaderships of the ANC and the DA agreeing to form the coalition are still in place.