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Manitowoc Great Decisions: South Africa democracy upheld by its institutions

Alisa M. Schafer
Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
Balloon decorate the balcony of the Manitowoc Public Library during the grand re-opening of Thursdays ribbon cutting Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Manitowoc, Wis. Josh Clark/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

MANITOWOC – Professor Heinz Klug, S.J.D., from University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, said South Africa's democracy is often characterized as weak, but he believes the institutions created to ensure the country's democracy are finally starting to work like they should.  

"I know this talk was supposed to be about South Africa's fragile democracy," Klug said. "I think it is, the democracy is fragile, but institutions can be sticky. Institution actually can function." 

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Klug presented about South Africa's democracy during the Great Decisions series Monday at Manitowoc Public Library. He grew up in Durban, South Africa, while apartheid was still imposed on the country and became the chairperson of the African National Congress Constitutional Committee in 1990 after spending 11 years in exile. 

South Africa's democracy began in the early 1990s after the end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela was the country's first democratically elected president in 1994. A new constitution reflecting the guiding principles for the post-apartheid country was finalized in 1996. 

Under this constitution, various institutions were created to protect the new democracy. These included an auditor general, public protector, a Human Rights Commission and others designed to be a checks-and-balances against corruption. 

"Institutions are key to democratic order," Klug said. 

Jacob Zuma was elected as the fourth president of South Africa in 2009. During his time in office, Zuma approved a massive upgrade to his private home using state funds.  

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The public protector at the time, Thuli Madonsela, accused Zuma of corruption. The Constitutional Court upheld the accusations and held that Zuma had failed to properly uphold the constitution. Cyril Ramaphosa was chosen to succeed Zuma Feb. 15, 2018.  

Klug said this transition is an example of how the institutions in South Africa have started to function and expose corruption. 

"We have these institutions that were created by the constitution that have hung in there and have started to actually function the way they should," he said. 

Klug was the sixth speaker in the eight-part Great Decisions series organized by the Foreign Policy Association. The next presentation will take place at 6 p.m. Monday at Manitowoc Public Library in the Balkansky Community Room. The topic will be "U.S. Global Engagement and the Military" presented by Kevin Kelly, J.D., from University of Wisconsin Law School.  

The Great Decisions events are free and open to the public. Each presentation will be streamed on Facebook Live and later made available on the Manitowoc Public Library's Facebook page.  

For more about the Great Decisions series, visit www.manitowoclibrary.org and click on the link for 2018 Great Decisions.