The signing of the Constitution did not lead to freedom in South Africa

What is democracy and the constitution of South Africa?
•“Democracy takes is contingent upon a country's socio-economic conditions as well as its entrenched state structures and policy practices. democracy is a system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through the competition and cooperation of their elected representatives” (Schmitter & Karl, 1991, pg. 76.). Democracy is a system of government that allows citizens of a country to elect their own representatives.

•“there is no universal and uncontested definition of a constitution. Nevertheless, any broadly accepted working definition of a constitution would likely describe it as a set of fundamental legal-political rules that: are binding on everyone in the state, including ordinary law-making institutions; concern the structure and operation of the institutions of government, political principles, and the rights of citizens; are based on widespread public legitimacy; are harder to change than ordinary laws (e.g. a two-thirds majority vote or a referendum is needed); and as a minimum, meet the internationally recognized criteria for a democratic system in terms of representation and human rights” (Bulmer, 2017, pg.5.).

Here are Youtube video links that explain the concept of democracy and the constitution in an African context:
https://youtu.be/q7LKSns5TiU (Consitution of South Africa).
https://youtu.be/dwFLefMpooc (Democracy)

Democracy is just another word used to cover up the injustices that are taking place in South Africa (YouTube URL of a video depicting the injustices taking place in South Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71-j lOvrUFc). "[T]he South African apartheid state sought to disaggregate an increasingly integrated urban population from the 1950s to the 1980s. The Verwoerdiandemographic engineering was designed to ethnicize, denationalize and fragment the black majority but to racialize and thereby unify the white minority of different ethnic backgrounds" (Fraser & Moodley, 2000, pg. 2.). Democracy and the signing of the constitution were meant to destroy the injustices of the past caused by the apartheid system such as "The end of apartheid meant the collapse of legislated identities. The vision of an overarching South African ‘rainbow nation’ emerged.

Divisive race or ethnicity was supposed to become an irrelevant factor in the public realm. The peaceful coexistence of different communities, with equal rights for all citizens and common loyalty to a shared state, stood out as a promise. The language of political transformation was one of compromise, emphasizing reconciliation at the expense of justice and retribution. The slogan became one nation, many cultures. The three core concepts of nation-building, nonracialism, and reconciliation were to express the consensual alternative to the previously imposed separation and interracial antagonisms" (Fraser & Moodley, 2000, pg. 2.). when I take a good look at how the constitution of South Africa was meant to change the country, endorse freedom, destroy social injustices and create a country where all races live in harmony. That was not achieved as there is no unity in South Africa, we have high levels of corruption, we have high levels of discrimination, and South Africa has become one of the most dangerous countries for women and children (City-press.News24.com)

The constitution of South Africa was meant to create unity in the country but instead, there is still division amongst races in South Africa, South Africans blame white privilege for their sufferings whereas other white people feel as though democracy ruined this country.

Here is a YouTube URL, the videos are based on African segregation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVH7JewfgJg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmmwO2Rj7SE

Democracy and the signing of the constitution were supposed to eradicate poverty and the race wars that are taking place in South Africa but that is not happening instead the country's struggles have been covered by the ethnic term Ubuntu and rainbow nation and the developing economy. Many South African are suffering from hunger these past three years there is a lot of looting going on in the country (here is a URL to a video that explains the looting happening in the country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JevGPfr7TvE).

Democracy was supposed to take South Africa to a better place, and the signing of the constitution was supposed to rectify the mistakes of the past. There is no real development in this country our democratic leaders are our biggest thieves and there is no real service delivery there is no real development for South Africa and its people. (URL of a video on corruption in SA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoSLZFt-CkI).

List of references:

Bulmer. E. (2017). What is a Constitution? Principles and Concepts: International IDEA Consitution-Building Primer: pp. 3-28.

Pillay. P. (2000) South Africa in the 21st Century: Some key Socio-Economic Challenges: Friederich Ebert Stiftung: Johannesburg South Africa.

Peterson. L, Lundahl. M. (2009). Post-Apartheid South Africa: An Economic Success Story?. ECONSTOR.

Moodley. K, Adam. H. (2000). Race and Nation in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Current Sociology. SAGE Publications: London. Vol. 48 (3). pp. 51-69.

Schimitter. P.C, Karl. T.L. (1991). What Democracy is... and is Not. The John Hopkins University Press. Vol 2, No. 3. pp. 77-88.

www.mixedmartials.com

www.tellersurenglish.net

City-Press. News24.com

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