Assignment 3: Module 5 & Module 6

Consider the list of key questions provided for both Module 5 and Module 6.

Select any key question from Module 5, and any key question from Module 6 (two key questions in total).

Write a short essay in which you explain your own perspectives, thoughts, opinions and ideas about the two key questions that you have selected. In your essay you should refer to the reading material which you have read for these two modules, and discuss some of what you have learned from this reading material. You can also discuss whether you agree or disagree with the positions/views of the authors of each reading, and why.

In your assignment you should clearly state WHICH key questions you have selected to address in your essay. Your essay/assignment should be no shorter than 2 pages, and no longer than 4 pages.

Also, please include the following at the top of the first page:

  • The assignment number (ie. “Assignment 3”)
  • Your full name and surname.

KEY QUESTIONS for Module 5:

  1. Do you agree or disagree with Mbeki’s arguments about how to address what he calls South Africa’s ‘two-nations’ divide? Present arguments for your position.
  1. In your opinion, why have an increasingly large number of citizens chosen not to participate in elections and what does this say about the ‘democratic mandate’ of the ANC?
  1. What does Zuma’s rape trial tell us about the man himself as well as the state of gender politics in within the ANC Alliance?
  1. 4. Do you think that COSATU’s alliance with the ANC has been beneficial for the unionised working class? Explain your answer.

KEY QUESTIONS for Module 6:

  1. Why was there a rupture within progressive South African civil society in the early 2000s and what did this mean for the broader working class and poor?
  1. Do you think the political nature of the South Africa state change in any fundamental way after 1994? Explain your answer.
  1. What can present-day community organisations and social movements learn from the internal problems and challenges that led to the demise of the APF?
  1. In your opinion and from your own experience as an activist, why do you think the ANC-run state continues to engage in wide-scale repression and marginalisation of community organisations and their struggles?

Course Outline