Share

Ben Winks | Can anything be done about bigotry on the election campaign trail?

accreditation
Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
An election should, while permitting robust debate, still be an environment where all who live in South Africa have a sense of belonging, legitimacy, and acceptance, writes the author. (Gallo Images/Misha Jordaan)
An election should, while permitting robust debate, still be an environment where all who live in South Africa have a sense of belonging, legitimacy, and acceptance, writes the author. (Gallo Images/Misha Jordaan)

In light of the rise of populism, Ben Winks examines the question of whether political parties and candidates can campaign on the basis of such blatantly anti-constitutional and anti-democratic propaganda.

South Africa is no stranger to inflammatory populist rhetoric from political leaders, especially in the run-up to significant elections.

By populism, I refer to anti-establishment appeals to "the people" to rise up against "others" who threaten their economic, social or moral interests. 

Read this for free
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Try our free 14-day trial
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 1014 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 490 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.76
+1.4%
Rand - Pound
23.43
+0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.08
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.25
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
924.10
-0.0%
Palladium
959.00
+0.1%
Gold
2,337.68
0.0%
Silver
27.19
-0.0%
Brent Crude
89.50
+0.6%
Top 40
69,358
+1.3%
All Share
75,371
+1.4%
Resource 10
62,363
+0.4%
Industrial 25
103,903
+1.3%
Financial 15
16,161
+2.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE