27 November 2009: A Critical Review of the Role of Civil Society Formations in Promoting Development and Good Governance
It has been argued by academics and activists that civil society organisatiosn flourish best apart from active politics. However, history has continuously shown that in most cases, active citizenship is a response to the political environment whether positive or negative. Civil society organisations have been seen as a representative of the vulnerable to the society and government. The political unrest in South Africa in the 1980s led to the activism of the United Democratic Front, which had more than 50 civil society organisations committed to making the country politically ungovernable.
This spirit of purpose and unity carried on to the releasing of political prisoners and the establishment of Sanco in 1992. It has been argued that the need for leadership in the new South Africa crippled civil society organisations as many leaders were deployed into government, and therefore represent government instead of civil society. Others have argued that the partnership between Sanco and the ANC led to Sanco being silenced by the ruling party and being ineffective.
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