SAIIA,+Feb+14,+Liberation,+Governments+and+Democracy


 * Ayesha Kajee**
 * Researcher: Democracy and Political Party Systems in Africa**
 * SAIIA - South African Institute of International Affairs**
 * PO Box 31596**
 * Braamfontein, Johannesburg**
 * Tel: +27 11 339-2021**
 * Fax: +27 11 339-2154**
 * Mobile: +27 83 500 7486**
 * [|www.saiia.org.za]**

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give" - Khalil Gibran


 * The South African Institute of International Affairs invites you to an address by:**

Professor Mohamed Salih (University of Leiden and Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, Netherlands)

on

=****Liberation movements, Governments and Democracy****:** ** A commentary on "Africa's new breed of politicians" thesis****=

(**Respondent: Mr Firoz Cachalia, Gauteng MEC for Community Safety**)

Time: 13h00 – 14h30 Venue: Jan Smuts House, East Campus, Wits University
 * Date:** Tuesday, 14th February 2006

RSVP: Ms Katy de Villiers Tel: (011) 339 2021 / E-mail: mailto:devilliersk@saiia.wits.ac.zadevilliersk@saiia.wits.ac.za


 * Professor Mohamed Salih**
 * Mohamed Salih**, internationally recognised as the pre-eminent researcher on African Political Party Systems, is Professor of Politics of Development both at the Department of Political Science, University of Leiden and the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. His recent authored books include //African Democracies and African Politics// (Pluto, London, 2001). More recently he edited A//frican Political Parties: Evolution, Institutionalisation and Governance// (Pluto, London, 2003); //Africa Networking: Information Development, ICTs and Governance// (Economic Commission for Africa and International Books, Utrecht and Addis Ababa, 2004) and //African Parliaments Between Government and Governance// (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2005).


 * Respondent**
 * Firoz Cachalia** is well placed as a respondent to this debate, having experience in both the liberation movement prior to 1994 and as a member of government in post-apartheid South Africa. He is a qualified attorney, with an LLM in Constitutional Law from Michigan University, USA. Active in liberation politics from the late 1970s, he has served on student and community structures, as well as in the United Democratic Front. He also served in the SACP's interim leadership structures after the SACP and ANC were unbanned by the apartheid government, and he participated in the Codesa process. From 1994 he has served in the Gauteng Legislature, being the speaker of the Gauteng Legislature from 1999 and MEC for Community Safety from 2004.

Although all African liberation movements predicated their struggle on the quest for democracy and the rule of law, once in power, few have subscribed to this ethos. Rejoicing in the triumph of controlling the resources and personnel of government, some guerrilla war commanders and liberation movement leaders have experienced difficulties in transforming their "movement governments" to cope with the demands of democratic governance.
 * About the Topic**

The lecture interrogates the democratic credentials of two types of liberation movement governments: Decolonisation liberation movements and second-wave liberation movements. While the former waged their struggle against colonialism, the latter fought against African authoritarian post independence states. Both types of movement governments command disquietening similarities, and in most cases, both have proven difficult to play by the rules of competitive democracy.

//Light Refreshments will be served. Please note that due to limited space,// //RSVPs are advised and// //attendance to this event will be strictly on a first-come, first-served basis.//