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So, recently Zuma shuffled his cabinet, most notably replacing Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, as well as Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas. This shuffle has caused the Rand to fall by more than 5% in the matter of a few days, as well as South Africa being regulated to junk status. The consequences of this move are already being felt, and will be felt for years to come. According to some economists, a recession is inevitable because of this. What is certain is that the state will now have to pay more rent on its debt, which translates into either a cut in fiscal spending or an increase in taxes, or possibly both.

Despite this irresponsible move, Zuma has come away from it largely unscathed thus far. Three of the ANCs top six had spoken out against his move, but later retracted their criticisms, stating that it was a mistake. Nationwide protests were launched to show the publics discontent with Zumas action, as well as calling for his resignation. Nothing has come of these protests. Zuma is still in power.

The nations hope lies in the coming vote of no confidence, which might be an anonymous vote, pending the findings of the Constitutional Court. An anonymous vote might mean the end of Zuma, as his ANC party members can vote based on their conscience without fear of repercussions.

Now, for the point of this essay. Zuma is not only a threat to the ANC and the South African economy, but to South Africas democracy itself.

Democratization is not an event, but it is a process. Democratic consolidation also takes place on three stages, namely the structural stage, the attitudinal stage and the behavioural stage. The stages that will be focused on here is the attitudinal, which refers to the populaces attitude towards democracy, and behavioural, which refers to populaces actions with regards to democracy, stages.

Zuma is unpopular among the general population, and most of the voting populace wants to see him go. In 2016, even before the latest scandal, Zuma was rated a 4 out of 10 by the general populace, based on a poll of 3416 adults. Recently, after the cabinet reshuffle scandal, a poll was completed by 1000 adults, in which 74% requested Zuma to step down. 69% of Black respondents requested Zuma to step down. His approval rating among black South Africans in 2016 was a mere 27%. Therefore, we can conclude that Zuma is no longer favoured as a president by the South African populace.

Yet, structural means have proven to be unable to remove Jacob Zuma. Repeated votes of no confidence in him has failed in Parliament. The Constitutional Court have largely failed to hold him to account and legitimate, peaceful protests have failed to achieve the desired result.

This, a massively unpopular and dangerous president remaining in power against the will of the people, will lead to a negative attitude towards democracy in South Africa, therefore undermining South Africas democratization process. This comes in light of the findings of polls done by Afrobarometer which shows a steady decline in the populaces satisfaction with democracy from 2002 to 2008. This fact has also been further illustrated by a drop in voter turnout in every election since 1994. People are starting to opt out of the democratic process at an accelerated rate.

The attitudes towards democracy of the populace will eventually evolve into behavior towards democracy. A clear rise in violent protests can be seen, while 70% of all service delivery protests become violent, as people view violence as the only way that their voices can be heard.

In conclusion, the process of democratization in South Africa is under threat from none other than the president himself, as he retains power against the will of the people. The accompanying inability to remove him through structural means only serves to fuel the populaces negative attitude and behavior towards democracy. One can only hope that the upcoming vote of no confidence will be an anonymous one, so that Zuma can be removed and faith in democracy restored.

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

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The threat to South African democracy - News24

New York Times

Democracy, It Turns Out, Suits the Warriors Just Fine New York Times Stephen Curry, left, and Kevin Durant reflecting the Warriors' relaxed team attitude during a Game 3 blowout of the Spurs on Saturday. Credit Ronald Cortes/Associated Press. SAN ANTONIO It sounds silly at this point, with the Golden State Warriors ... and more »

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Democracy, It Turns Out, Suits the Warriors Just Fine - New York Times

Forbes

The New Cold War: Democracy Vs. Autocracy Forbes Over the past 8 days, North Korea successfully tested two nuclear-capable missiles, making a mockery of President Trump's tough approach on North Korea. He has meanwhile opened his arms of friendship to Russia and China, the biggest global threats to ...

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The New Cold War: Democracy Vs. Autocracy - Forbes

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Posted: May 22, 2017 12:01 AM

Until the American Civil War, the political party of slavery, secession, segregation, and now socialism, referred to itself as The Democracy. After the slow burning of DNC leaks, Crooked Hillarys corruption, the dripping frauds of the DNC elections, and recently the chaos of the now-concluded California Democratic Party convention, its clear that there is nothing democratic about the Democratic Party.

I commiserate with my California liberal, progressive, Democratic friends. They really believe that more government, more socialism is the answer to our nations illsbut at least they believe in a fair, just process. But fairness and big government dont go hand in hand. Communism is fundamentally unfair, taking from those who have and giving to those who dont. Besides, the world has its problems, and solutions to the worlds ills cannot be solved with government-backed solutions. Trade-offs are the calling of the day. This is a fallen earth, and people are fleshy, power-driven, out for themselves. And that same drive for power means Lie, cheat, and steal to win. That only foretells Communisms doom.

The progressives in our midst, 60% of whom were California Democratic Party delegates, still believe that people are basically good and more government will fix the world. After three days of listening to out-going Chairman John Burtonlots of profanity, punctuated with gesticulating middle fingersit should be crystal clear that human beings, whatever their political affiliations, are flawed.

The first day of the California Democratic Party convention exposed the dissension in their ranks. Besides Chairman Burtons curse-laden rants, the general order was disorder and heckling. Left-wing nurse associations agitated repeatedly for single-payer healthcare. When Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez spoke to the Friday crowds, he got boos and heckling in double doses. The new DNC Chairman cheated for his seat, just as Crooked Hillary cheated for the nomination.

The California Democratic Party faithful have been berned, er burned so badly, they were not interested in playing establishment games with Swamp Thing Clinton and Barack Obama. Of course, who was the alternative? Left-wing Muslim Keith Ellison, Congressman from Minnesota. This man had ties to the CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and embraced the most radical of backgrounds and undergroundsmany of whom want to take down the United State of America. The future of the Democratic Party is communistic, Islamist, anti-American, and anti-Western: Cultural Marxism with an American flag hijab.

Now heres the good news for Republicans and for our country. Based on the chaotic three days of the California Democratic Party convention, the same principles which Reagan expounded on in 1983 still hold true today. The desire for liberty is too strong in men, and their demand for justice will never pass away. There is something in human nature, that even as they pursue the expansion of the state into our daily lives, they want the rolloutand thus the rolling away of their own natural rightsto be done their way.

Self-interest, natural law, the Invisible Hand, all of these features of economics and political design will undermine every push for Communism in any form. Indeed, the California Democratic Party is a microcosm of this cultural truthand spell the national partys devastation. Nationally, The Democracy has dissolved into conflicts over class or race. Intersectionality is the latest craze. The left-wing factivists are determined at all costs to ensure the hierarchy of victimization is protected from all attacks, foreign or domestic. All of you half-African, half-Asian elderly lesbians in wheelchairs now hold the cards in this political universe.

Funny thing is, though, that elections depend on votes. Today, most of the nations voters are working people, many of them of European background, but share the same concerns about safety, security, traditional values, and economic opportunity as all ethnic minorities. We are all Americans, right?

The end for the future of the Democratic Party has been laid bare to us in California. Corruption has been the norm. Everyone wins by kowtowing to the special interests. Chairman-elect Bauman certainly did. Mr. Big Pharma hustled to ensure that Prop. 61 for fair pricing for drugs failed miserably. Six months later, Bossman Eric sent out last-minute eblasts to ensure delegates that he is Gung-Ho for single-payer health care. FYI: Dianne Feinstein opposes it. So does State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (or at least he talks that way). No one cares about white people, and the white president is routinely pilloried. The left-wing Berniecrats dont trust Bauman to fight for the Bernie Revolution, since he was a vocal cheerleader for Crooked Hillary. In came Bernie-endorsed Kimberly Ellis, a vocal progressive with a hint of honesty.

Saturday evening, nearly 3,000 delegates voted with enthusiasm and anxiety. The final tally? Bossman Eric won by 60 votes. Just sixty. One has to wonder if they would have started flipping coins to ensure which way ballots would gojust like in Iowa. The media went nuts up and down the state. Bernie delegates were outraged again. First Hillary steals the Presidential nomination. Then Perez steals the DNC chairmanship. Now Mr. Anti-natural law, pro-crony Bauman steals the California Democratic Party chairmanship. Delegates demanded a recount. Kimberly Ellis threatened to sue. Nothing in the formal by-laws provides the process for a recount (I wonder why?) Then delegates started demanding Voter ID to ensure no ballot-staffingand a recount!

Remember what I said about human nature? Right?! On Sunday, Ellis backed down, and Bauman took the gavel, but the Bernie Delegates arent backing down. They fled the convention floor and hosted their own meeting nearby. Communists fight for their way of tyrannizing the world, after all.

What do you know? The drive for the Communistic Democracy is hitting more snags. Progressive activists are abandoning The Democracy. The California Democratic Partys crack-up is good for Republicans, with a promising California Comeback on the way. Could they become Republicans? They want what the GOP has worked for: good government, proper public service, an end to corruption, and expanding opportunity for individual voters and small businesses.

BREAKING: General Michael Flynn Will Plead the Fifth

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Popcorn: The Self-Destruction of The Democracy, as Seen in California - Townhall

The conservative columnist Peggy Noonan wrote last week: The president needs to be told: Democracy is not your plaything. She is so right. Donald Trump has warmly welcomed despots to the White House, suggested that reporters who publish classified information should be jailed, and may have obstructed justice by firing the man leading the investigation into possible collusion between Trump and the government of Russia. The first four months of this presidency underscore the necessity of the checks and balances the Founders wrote into our Constitution and the importance of the institutions of democracy that have evolved over time.

Those checks have shifted into overdrive. Trumps Muslim ban has been stopped while the courts consider its legality. The media are investigating and reporting matters of urgent public interest, in spite of Trumps almost daily diatribes against the press. And the most important checkthe will of the publicis evident in the activism Americans are displaying in protests, town halls and other forums from coast to coast.

But one check on the executive branch has been notably lacking: the Republican leadership in Congress. Their response to everything from controversial tweets to a potential constitutional crisis? It ranges from sticking their heads in the sand to this anemic statement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: We could use a little less drama from the White House.

Thats not to say congressional Republicans havent been busy. While Trumps pyrotechnics dominate news cycles, GOP lawmakers are pushing hard for legislation that hurts working families, such as their proposals to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

After the House of Representatives narrowly passed the American Health Care Act, or Trumpcare, House Republicans headed to the White House, where the Rose Garden provided a picturesque backdrop for a perverse celebration. The president, vice president and a phalanx of GOP lawmakers beamed as they congratulated each other on passing a bill that will take health security away from millions of people in the United States. No wonder the publics trust in political leaders is at a new low. Only 21 percent of Americans approve of the Republicans health care plan, and voters are much less likely to support representatives who voted for it.

Its hard to know which is worsewhat Trumpcare contains, or the way it was passed.

Under Trumpcare, 24 million people would lose health insurance in the coming decade. People like the patients Toria Harris sees as an oncology nurse in Ohiopatients whose advanced cancer could be cured with access to healthcare. Millions of people with pre-existing conditions may be one reoccurrence away from bankruptcy or death. Reduced funding for Medicaid would be devastating for students like Evan, a 6-year-old from Souderton, Pa., with Down syndrome. Medicaid enables Evan to receive occupational, physical and speech therapy and other services that are vital to his growth and independence. Trumpcare would also strip $117 billion from Medicare for seniors. All of this to pay for a tax cut for the top 2 percent of earners.

And the way the House Republicans rammed the AHCA through steamrolled the government mechanisms intended to create trust and transparency. No time for the Congressional Budget Office to score the bills impact and cost, no time for House members to read it, no amendments, and less than three hours of debate. Enormous changes to the healthcare Americans rely on and a law affecting one-fifth of the economy require a scintilla of transparency so Americans know what their representatives are doing.

The president is displaying increasingly unbalanced, dangerous and authoritarian behaviors. Every member of Congress takes an oath of officenot to party or president, but to uphold the Constitution. That sworn oath is mere words unless exercised.

In On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Yale historian Timothy Snyder takes readers through three times when Europeans confronted authoritarian regimes: the end of World War I, the end of World War II and the fall of communism. Until recently, most Americans had only been spectators to assaults on democracy. We might be tempted to think that our democratic heritage automatically protects us from such threats, Snyder writes. This is a misguided reflex.

This is no time to lower our defenses or sit on the sidelines. With an increasingly erratic president and members of his party who refuse to act as a check on his power, it is we, the people, who must serve that function to protect democracyat town halls, rallies and, ultimately, at the ballot box.

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A Clarion Call For Democracy - HuffPost