South Africa: Event Announcement - in Person Cool Politics Cafe to Be Hosted in Johannesburg

29 October 2025
Democracy Works (Johannesburg)
analysis By Lerato Maloka

We're pleased to announce and invite you to the upcoming Cool Politics Café

Theme: Political Polarisation in South Africa

Tagline: "Different Voices. One Democracy"

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The Cool Politics Café will focus on political polarisation in South Africa. As South Africa prepares for the upcoming municipal elections in 2026, political parties will be vying for votes and support. Political actors often resort to divisive rhetoric, particularly during elections, blaming migrants or certain identity groups for social ills (poverty, crime, unemployment) to rally support (See CSVR, 2024). Further, migration, nationality, race, and belonging become key battlegrounds of identity politics, particularly in marginalised communities where competition for scarce resources is more acute.

The Cool Politics Café will confront how political incentives reshape discourse and deepen divides. It will scrutinise the role of political actors in fanning polarization. The dialogue will also bring into focus the role of political leaders, social justice activists, academics and the youth to interrogate political polarisation and its impact and to collectively, recommend de-polarisation strategies through experience and examples of nation and community building and ways in which social cohesion and be supported and nurtured.

Date: Thursday, 13 November 2025

Venue: The Bannister Hotel, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

Time: 16:30

Secure tickets here

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