09 October 2026

10-minute read

In a frank conversation with lifelong activists Neeshan Bolton from the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, and Naazim Adam, PSA member and principal of the Impala School in Lenasia, Ml Sulaimaan Ravat dissected the role of activists in the changing dynamics of SA.

Defining Activism

Historically, both activists and civil society played a big role in the struggle against apartheid.  Fundamentally, says Bolton, while the reasons and motivation for getting into the activism space will change with time, and so will the issues, struggles, campaigns and organizations, the core intention – to effect change – will remain the same.

Activism is something born from one’s values and sense of justice. For Adam, his activism was in response to the injustices that stemmed from apartheid, the consciousness within his home, and the growth that led to his participation in the launch of the Lenasia Student Congress “between the two states of emergency”.

“There’s a role to be played in society for change for a better world,” Adam states. Idealism hovers around activism, but once you understand “the realities and constraints within society,” you grow and develop the critical thinking that is required in the political arena.

Post-apartheid, where did activism go wrong?

How did it evolve as opposed to how it should have evolved? Boltons refers to the activism preceding 1990 as “highly participatory” with a focus on building organization. Once the ANC was unbanned, the focus shifted to building a party. Post 1994, most activists “demobilised organizations” and went into public service or took on parliamentary or legislative roles, taking away “leadership capacity from communities” and expecting government to take over the role they had abdicated from. It worked in the initial years, but as the stalwarts departed from public and parliamentary service, and were replaced by others, the same ethos of the original struggle activists was difficult to maintain.

What Needs to Change?

Bolton mentions the importance of rebuilding activist, civic and youth capacity without a “blind party-political loyalty”. Adam points out the “naivety” of the activists of the past who assumed their comrades all carried the same values, quoting the adage “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The tripartite alliance was born resulting in “a totally impotent trade union fraternity” with revisions and submissions; a vanguard for struggles of the working class. But the biggest problem was the “de-democratising” of the work ethic, says Adam and it’s time to rebuild community structures and political accountability, and commitment on grassroot issues.

The Faith in the One Party

Bolton & Adam reflect on whether activists put too much faith in one political party. Bolton indicates the importance of the “incredibly deep” historical, emotional and psychological hold of the ANC. A staunch ANC supporter, he could not continue to affiliate with the party once Zuma came into power, and searching for a new vehicle, he joined the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, the platform that allowed him to “think beyond the ANC school of thought.” In spite of that, asked if he thinks Ahmed Kathrada would still vote for the ANC today, Bolton replies with certainty that he would.

Adam feels that the “abandonment of working-class politics under Mbeki” alongside the AIDS saga was the cause of his disillusionment with the ANC. “People were never going to give up their privilege and their power as easily as we wanted to think they would,” he emphasizes. However, despite the current state of the ANC, he advocates that the party is still “a vehicle for most of our aspirations as activists”. What is required is a mindset shift from the side of the politicians to be less self-serving and more service oriented. It is not only the ANC who is failing but also the coalition government who is failing.

Is the Downfall of the ANC orchestrated?

In Mbeki’s book, is his argument that the downfall of the ANC was orchestrated by the old apartheid regime valid? It may be, but Bolton does not believe that the scale of infiltration equates the level of corruption that resulted thereafter; corruption that stemmed from the party’s own conscious decisions, oversights and lack of accountability. Neither does he buy into the conspiracy theories that abound in Mbeki’s book. He does, however, applaud Mbeki for pointing out the flaws in the US in terms of their discrimination against African American people and the erosion of their democratic rights.

Divisions among Activists

Egos, divisions, disunity, turf wars and self-righteousness all set in along the way — have activists become too divided? Have they lost their way morally, started concentrating on their own needs rather than the greater good? “The ANC must own the corruption,” says Adam. What we’re seeing in South Africa at the moment amounts to “a total mafia state” with out-of-control corruption, construction mafia, tenders, and hospital scandals. So, the government puts commissions in place to deal with it but there’s no strong action to stop it and hold the people in power accountable.

Adam maintains that activists have always had differing opinions and even in the past, “would place themselves in different camps,” creating certain tensions and divisions. Since the genocide in Palestine, however, he notes that there has been greater coordination, cooperation and collaboration between activists from every sphere and space across the world, creating a culture of constructive criticism.

Activists have a View…

Of course, principal issues like that of the genocide in Palestine requires people to take a particular stance instead of sitting on the fence and being silent or obfuscating their position. Boycotts are a conscious thing that activists should advocate for. While the current generation expects instant results, the fact is that it takes time to build momentum, as long as people stand firmly by their convictions; as in the example of the ICJ case. Engaging with political parties that are pro-Israel, pro-US, narrow-nationalistic and xenophobic cannot be compromised, says Adam

Coming to the Galloway question — he is vocal in his support for Palestine, but…should activists host him despite his support for the Assad regime? Adam says that there is “a distinction between hosting and supporting your views.”

Are Activists too Tolerant of ANC Incompetence?

Does the ANC get a “free pass” because of fore fronting the ICJ case? Can activists criticise the party for all the things they’re not doing for South Africa? According to Bolton people make up their minds not based on ideological issues that affect the rest of the world, but with a focus on what is affecting them in their own city. Most people want the basics to work: they value safety and access to water and electricity; they want to be involved in key decisions with a local government who is transparent; and they want the government to be responsible and accountable when they mess up. We cannot assume that voters lack intelligence – voters will vote for what is in their best interest.

“The City’s Collapsed!”

With collapsing entities, corruption that is rife, lack of accountability and an inflated budget, all we are doing now is “firefighting.” Adam agrees that the citizens of South Africa will vote based on how their access to basic amenities are affecting them, alongside the support they are getting from the people in power in their wards, and councillors who they trust. Bolton calls it “being muted in our anger,” because if we experienced the same problems we are having today under the old government, it would have evoked immediate anger in us.

What Happens after Elections?

Bolton suggests studying the manifestos of each party and seeing which ones have credible ideas worthy of championing. Every organization ought to engage on what is before them, evaluate it critically, and thereafter assess the quality of their candidates based on their integrity, creditability and competency required to run their ward. Bolton is certain what we are facing post-elections is “a repeat of a coalition that is chaotic” in the City of Joburg. From the 5^th November, communities and civil society have a big job ahead of them – to figure out what the “pressure points” are on the councillor, the city manager and the head of every entity, and to take up every issue without delay so that the city does not go down even further.

Adam mentions that the work from the side of the PSA has started already. At their Walk for Freedom march in Lenasia, they held a community dialogue titled “flip the script” where mayoral candidates were questioned by activists. He feels that activists can build community structures by holding councillors accountable, citing the example of Potchefstroom where the councillor is elected by the community as a candidate and signs a contract where if he fails to deliver, he can be recalled. Exacerbating the problem is “the officials that have been running the roost” where directors with high salaries have “no performance contract linked to accountability.” Some councillors don’t even read their notes before meetings and are thus dictated to by officials. Another issue is that the greater metro is too big of an entity and must be broken up into regions for greater efficiency, accountability and delivery.

What Gives you Hope?

Where do you see the positives? Bolton highlights his hope that is found in the young people outside party political structures across the length and breadth of the province who are involved in positive community activism to get the city working again. He sees that as the potential for rebuilding and developing future leadership. He finds the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry “hugely inspirational” in that it has served to expose the rot and put pressure on the authorities to rethink the criminal justice system. Quoting from Ahmed Kathrada’s book “there is no such thing as defeat,” he points out that we will have to “confront a dysfunctional democracy to achieve a better life.”

“Things are working and people are trying,” says Adam, noting the commitment from citizens and their desire to do better. But he is fearful of the threats in our democracy because of global shifts like the move to the right, surveillance societies, AI and the corrupt people in power. What does give him hope is the global movement of young people taking a stand during the genocide, but he points out that it must be guided a better and a more equal and just world. Added to that is the youth who are no getting involved in politics, wanting to serve their community and their country. “Young people are our hope!”

Watch the full podcast with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and his guests Neeshan Bolton and Naazim Adam.