South Africa’s democratic system has developed into a two tier system. The first tier governed by the Constitution. Elections are held to select a ruling party from among the various parties contesting the election. One, the ANC, gets elected with a clear majority. The second tier is governed by the constitution of the ANC. Once elected the ANC hosts a conference where their own leaders are elected. These elections are fiercely contested with opposing factions attempting to get their candidates elected. These contests are hard fought, perhaps even worse than the general election governed by the Constitution. ANC policy is determined by the winner of the internal elections as governed by the constitution of the ANC.
Opposing political parties criticizes ANC supporters for always voting ANC even when not happy with ANC policy. But they miss the point. The real election is fought at the ANC congress, not at the ballot box. Opposing parties do of cause not have any say at the ANC conference. The rule of law prevents ANC policy from overriding the principles and limitations imposed by the Constitution. An interesting process, but still democracy. This makes the ANC hard to beat, if not impossible.
