Against the tide by Steven Friedman

We often hear that voting changes nothing. But governments in the United States and India disagree. They are so worried about it changing things that they are trying to take the vote from people.  They are right to worry because, if used well, voting can help change. So, instead of taking the vote for granted, South Africans should protect their vote and use it to as a tool for change.

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Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.