Seeds of honest governance in Africa

Three decades ago, after South Africa made its transition to majority rule, African leaders began to set down principles for governance on the continent. Those agreements planted the seeds for what most Africans now see as essential: that democracy can lead to peace and opportunity.

In 2024, when more than a dozen African countries are slated to hold elections, those expectations are resulting in new benchmarks of progress.

Last month, for example, Senegal’s highest court prevented an illegal attempt by the outgoing president to stay in power or imprison opposition leaders. In Ghana, government leaders and civil society groups are working together to safeguard a December election from digital disinformation.

South Africa today offers another encouraging sign. When its voters cast ballots next month, the African National Congress may finally lose the majority it has held since 1994 when apartheid ended. Public support for the ruling party has dipped below 40% for the first time, according to a Brenthurst Foundation poll. Voters are weary of official corruption. One of the latest scandals includes the Parliament speaker, an ANC stalwart.

Such progress has another explanation. Voters can more easily see what an alternative looks like.

In many African countries, entrenched ruling parties have hobbled their political rivals through foul play. In South Africa, for as long as the ANC has governed nationally, another party called the Democratic Alliance (DA) has held the majority in Cape Town and the Western Cape province. Its governing record – measured by effective municipal councils, delivery of services, and business growth – underscores how people benefit when opposition parties mature and thrive.

“The strength, effectiveness, and quality of a democracy largely depend on the opposition parties’ efficiency, relevance, and ability to credibly show they are ready to govern,” noted William Gumede, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Functioning and loyal opposition parties, he wrote for Democracy Works Foundation, depend on and reinforce the rule of law. They enable consensus-building debate and hold ruling parties accountable. They help preserve judicial independence and encourage citizen participation.

In those African countries where opposition parties are gathering strength, Dr. Gumede observed, they function “within the prescripts of the country Constitutions, laws, and parliamentary rules – and with integrity.”

Sensing the ANC’s vulnerability, the DA and a handful of smaller parties have formed a united front in case they collectively win enough votes to form a coalition government after next month’s election. But one measure of political integrity is civility with one’s opponents. DA leader John Steenhuisen has not ruled out uniting with the ANC if it can govern more honestly and by working with the opposition. “The biggest beneficiaries of good, clean, accountable government are poor, marginalised South Africans,” he told Reuters.

Public pressure for ruling parties to reform is rising in Africa. One longtime ANC official, for example, recently rebuked the party in a rare moment of contrition. “When we took over government in 1994, we had the moral high ground,” Mavuso Msimang wrote. “Yet, three decades later, the ANC’s own track record of corruption is a cause for great shame.” Africa’s ruling parties used to base their legitimacy and longevity on what they did long ago to liberate their countries for majority rule. As that legacy has faded, more Africans are poised to shape a new era that relies on rule by merit, rule by law – and rule with a touch of humility.