In the aftermath of South Africa’s recent election renewed hope has made an unexpected appearance.. Because the ANC lost its majority, it now needs to govern by coalition. Forced to choose between “good governance” or “ethno-nationalist” coalition partners, it has signaled a clear preference for the former. At first glance, the new coalition is hardly a recipe for political stability and policy coherence.  Even so, for reasons that I lay out in my new piece in The Conversation this lack of coherence need not prevent a virtuous spiral from taking hold.

To realize the potential of the moment, the country needs to move beyond a political culture where false certainties abound. Hope is a fragile flower. The zone of agreement between the coalition members is small. Outside that zone, the potential for bitter disagreement is huge. Difficult choices lie ahead – but focusing on these is not the immediate priority. For the next year or two the urgent task is to focus on shared goals, and to avoid the kinds of policy and power conflicts that can turn hope into rancor, recrimination and enmity. Now is the time to build momentum – to give a new season of hope a chance to take hold.