Populism as a rising global phenomenon is a danger to democracies around the world, from its extremist Latin American roots to liberation movements in Africa and the rise of a new European nationalism.
Populist leaders have “turned democracies to coercion, capture and corruption”, Tendai Biti, Zimbabwean opposition party member of parliament, told a Daily Maverick webinar on Wednesday.
This sparked “social instability, economic catastrophe and authoritarian repression”, and countries with extreme crime rates, such as South Africa, are more prone to attracting these populist leaders, he said.
Biti was speaking on the recently published book by the Brenthurst Foundation, “In The Name of the People: How populism is rewiring the world”.
Daily Maverick senior journalist Rebecca Davis facilitated a conversation about rising worldwide populism with two of the co-authors — research director at the Brenthurst Foundation, Ray Hartley, and Biti, who is the MP for Harare East.
Daily Maverick previously reported on the South African Police Service confirming that the numbers of murders and sexual offences have been steadily escalating in the country.
Read more in Daily Maverick: “Violent crime is soaring in South Africa and retribution isn’t working — it’s time for restorative justice”
“This is a warning to…