Cults of personality have long plagued South African politics, undermining democratic institutions and stability.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema and Cyril Ramaphosa have all been accused of cultivating personality cults around themselves – Mbeki and Ramaphosa not so much that they cultivated it themselves, but that they allowed it to take root without discouraging it.
These cults have significant implications for the country’s democracy, as they concentrate power in the hands of a single individual, eroding checks and balances and the rule of law.
A cult of personality is characterised by the excessive promotion of a leader’s image and the suppression of dissent or criticism. This often involves the use of propaganda, patriotism, and government- or