Egoism of the national bourgeoisie: exploring political party formation, ego politics and the challenge of governance in South Africa
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Since South Africa's democratic breakthrough in 1994, there has been significant growth in the number of political parties. In more recent times, there has been an increase in the number of political parties which have mushroomed from existing political parties. These new political parties are formed in most cases by disgruntled members of the existing main political parties in the country. This paper considers this rising phenomenon of balkanisation of political parties in South Africa as problematic and, hence, utilising a qualitative desktop literature review approach, it explores political party formation, ego politics and the challenge of governance in the country. Also, utilising Fanon's ideas on the pitfalls of national consciousness and Hobbes' views on psychological egoism, the paper contends that the proliferous establishment of political parties in South Africa in recent times might indicate that the nation's political landscape often centres around the egos of individual politicians.
Source: Politikon
Institutions: University of Cape Town, University of the Free State
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7154695670