For nearly ten years - indeed more if we include his period of influence under Mandela's presidency - Thabo Mbeki bestrode South Africa's political stage. Despite attempts by some in the new ANC leadership to airbrush out his role, there can be little doubt that Mbeki was a seminal figure in South Africa's new democracy, one who left a huge mark in many fields, perhaps most controversially in state and party management, economic policy, public health intervention, foreign affairs and race relations. If we wish to understand the character and fate of post-1994 South Africa, we must therefore ask: What kind of political system, economy and society has the former President bequeathed to the government of Jacob Zuma and to the citizens of South Africa generally? This question is addressed head-on here by a diverse range of analysts, commentators and participants in the political process. Amongst the specific questions they seek to answer: What is Mbeki's legacy for patterns of inclusion and exclusion based on race, class and gender? How, if at all, did his presidency reshape relations within the state, between the state and the ruling party and between the state and society? How did he reposition South Africa on the continent and in the world? This book will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand the current political landscape in South Africa, and Mbeki's role in shaping it.

The next three years will determine whether South Africa succeeds or fails in the long term. Jacob Zuma’s term as president is due to end in 2019, though he could go earlier. Who will succeed him and what will be the impact on policy?

The ANC’s dominance has been significantly dented after opposition parties gained ground in the 2016 local government elections, but will the minority and coalition governments in key cities hold or fall apart? The economy is in trouble, and the National Treasury has been buffeted by a struggle for power at the centre of government. Will Pravin Gordhan and his band of reformers survive and succeed? The public protector’s term ends in October 2016. Will her successor hold the line? The judiciary is under pressure, and several positions have opened up on the Constitutional Court bench. Will the rule of law be maintained?

Looking at these and other issues, Richard Calland presents scenarios for the country’s future, showing how the next few years are the most critical since the early 1990s, and how South Africa can set itself on a path to success or failure. It really is make or break time.

When the World Cup circus came to town it jolted South Africa out of its insular navel-gazing and roused a nation. Defying the sceptics and the Afro-pessimists - both at home and abroad - we put on a great show not just for South Africa, but for the whole continent. The Vuvezela Revolution is the definitive account of Africa's First World Cup ... definitive because it captures not only the big questions about South Africa's handling of the global mega-event, offering serious and insightful answers about the legacy of 2010, but also because it reveals the vivid granularity of this beautiful country during that extraordinary month - Jabulani, vuvuzelas and all. Thirty days that changed and built a nation ... or did it? Was it all just an act?

Democracy in the time of Mbeki, third in IDASA's democracy index series, is a scorecard of the current state of South African democracy. Drawing on our organisation's experience and expertise, and using our unique 100-question Democracy index, this title sets out to measure how much progress has been made in South Africa's democracy-building project. This is not an attempt to judge the government of the day; it is way to assess the extent to which we all are contributing to our country's wellbeing. Including contributions from leading commentators who applied the index in their areas of expertise, this volume invites you to measure South Africa's democracy yourself, using the Democracy index included in this title. How much control do South African citizens have over the actions of their government? How equal are they in that process? Do the people rule, and do the people rule equally?These are the core questions that this volume attempts to answer.