21 May 2024
22 May / Live broadcast, SABC Studios, Sea Point / 20h00 – 22h00
My Vote Counts and civil society and community-based organisations have collaborated to produce a detailed analysis of the major political parties’ 2024 election manifestos. The analysis focuses on several key issues and was developed through the lens of social justice and progressive politics that seeks to position people’s rights at the centre of our politics. We believe it will help people to vote from a more informed position and give us a tool against which we can hold political parties and government to account.
We will be sharing the People’s Analysis of Manifestos during a live broadcast with
Koketso Sachane on SAfm’s “Meeting Point” at 20h00 on Wednesday 22 May 2024.
TUNE IN! 104 – 107 MHz FM
The “People’s Analysis of Manifestos” critiques the promises made by the major political parties, focusing on the issues that matter most to social justice activists and their constituencies.
These issues are:
- Jobs for all
- Equal quality education for all
- A Universal Basic Income Grant and health justice now
- An end to gender-based violence and femicide
- Land and housing for all
- An end to loadshedding now
The organisations and movements involved and those we drew from in developing the analysis include Alternative Information and Development Centre, Equal Education, Ndifuna Ukwazi, People’s Health Movement, Section 27, and Universal Basic Income Coalition. The analysis represents the first detailed exercise in outlining civil society’s priorities and examining how each of the major political parties intends to address these. The analysis reveals both alignments and misalignments between the proposals of political parties and the demands and aspirations of people.
All political parties acknowledge the importance of job creation, equal quality education, universal basic income, universal health care access, addressing gender-based violence and femicide, and ending energy poverty. But their ideas and recommendations often lack robust and definitive plans for implementation, and proper resource allocation and have approaches that can vary greatly. They also do not always go far enough, and many of their proposals will simply maintain the status quo and reinforce and deepen inequality.
Most of the recent advances in social justice are a result of pressure from civil society broadly and most importantly by people’s movements. Now, as the crucial 2024 election approaches, we need to start putting pressure on the policies and priorities of political parties themselves to ensure they have an authentic social justice focus and address the needs of the people.
Our analysis is intended to help people who are committed to social justice to make an informed decision about who to vote for. It is a crucial part of ensuring that those in power, or those who want to be in power, are focused on the real needs of the people. It is also crucial that we know what politicians have promised in their manifestos, so we can hold them accountable for once they are in office. As we approach this critical juncture in South Africa’s democracy, it is crucial that the voices of the people -the activists, movements, civil society members, and ordinary citizens – are not just heard but actively shape the future agenda.
The solutions to the country’s most pressing challenges lie in the collective wisdom and struggle of the people – not in the empty promises of political elites. The People’s Analysis of Manifestos is a clarion call for a people-centred democracy – one where the needs, aspirations, and voices of the most marginalised and vulnerable are at the forefront of policymaking. It is a reminder that true change happens not just through elections, but through the sustained struggle and participation of the people in all aspects of governance. Only through this struggle will we see and experience a more just, equitable, and people-centred society.
Click on the link to peek into PAM: The People’s Analysis of Manifestos.
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