The End of Tyranny: How Civil Society in South Africa Fought Back

The document describes how the ANC government under Jacob Zuma shifted toward tyranny by disregarding the constitution and rule of law, driven by a perception that these frameworks hindered radical economic transformation. This environment enabled widespread state corruption, which in turn triggered a resurgence of civil society coalitions aimed at forcing the government to adhere to legal rules.

• Under ex-president Jacob Zuma, the African National Congress (ANC) government exhibited tyrannical behavior by positioning itself against the rule of law and the constitution.
• The shift toward tyranny was not solely caused by corruption but was a political reaction to racially defined inequality in South Africa, based on the mistaken belief that the constitution blocked radical economic transformation.
• The government's move toward tyranny facilitated lawlessness and extensive corruption within the state marketplace, where businesses perform outsourced government work, leading to the emergence of new civil society coalitions to enforce legal compliance.

APA

Chipkin, I. (2018). The End of Tyranny: How Civil Society in South Africa Fought Back. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/chapter-end-tyranny-civil-society-sa-fought-back/

Chicago

Chipkin, Ivor. The End of Tyranny: How Civil Society in South Africa Fought Back. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2018. https://pari.org.za/chapter-end-tyranny-civil-society-sa-fought-back/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chipkin |first1=Ivor |title=The End of Tyranny: How Civil Society in South Africa Fought Back |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=24 April 2018 |url=https://pari.org.za/chapter-end-tyranny-civil-society-sa-fought-back/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chipkin2018end, author = {Chipkin, Ivor}, title = {{The End of Tyranny: How Civil Society in South Africa Fought Back}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://pari.org.za/chapter-end-tyranny-civil-society-sa-fought-back/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }