Jacob Zuma, whose imprisonment in 2021 set off riots resulting in more than 350 deaths, bears obvious similarities to Donald Trump, whose election loss precipitated the 6 January insurrection. Both share a distaste for democracy, threatening to replace their respective countries' constitutions.

The question of rising authoritarianism continues to plague not just South Africa, but the entire world. As far-right nationalist parties gain headway in EU elections and the US presidential election looms on the horizon, South Africa's recently concluded election becomes an important case study for the future of democracy globally.

The popularity of former president Jacob Zuma's freshly minted uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party demonstrates an increasing desire for populist rule and splintering along ethnic lines.

Mismanagement and corruption by the ANC have decreased trust in democracy, to the point where 64% of South Africans surveyed by the Human Sciences Research Council's South African Social Attitudes Survey expressed dissatisfaction with the state of democracy, compared to an all-time low of 22% who were satisfied.

Disillusionment with governing institutions owing to poor service delivery, unemployment rates that peaked at 33% in 2023, pervasive corruption that cost South Africa approximately $26-billion over nine years and State Capture produced an environment ripe for right-wing populist exploitation.

At first, political analysts focusing on rising populism primarily expressed concern over the xenophobic rhetoric of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), but in the wake of the MK party outperforming expectations, new attention...