Response – 10th November 2026 – Seeking Political Maturity by Mike Pothier
More than one commentator, and indeed the party’s own chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, has observed that the steady decline of the ANC’s electoral strength over the last few cycles represents a maturing of our democracy. The ‘liberation dividend’ is wearing off and people are gradually – in some places, quickly – casting aside their old loyalties. In most of the large cities and some of the bigger regional centres, voters are making increasingly hard-headed assessments about which parties are more and less likely to look after their interests.