Wayne Sussman: By the ballot box or the bullet…

There have been “very, very few signs of a military coup or a revolution in South Africa” , says Elections Analyst Wayne Sussman in his latest interview on BizNews. He was reacting to a coup being one of the key threats listed in the National Security Strategy report for 2024 - 2028. “I can't think of an actor in our Defense Force who'd be positioned to be able to lead a coup,” he says. However, Sussman agrees that some of the other key threats identified are real challenges. He says the assassinations of key figures in the lead-up to elections “means that we won't attract good people into politics, won't attract good people to stick their heads up and get involved with business leaders or civil society leaders”. He agrees that sabotage too is a big threat that has “metastasised through the mafias we see over the country, blocking economic growth, blocking infrastructure spend, blocking service delivery”. Sussman further gives an in-depth analysis of the latest by-election results and previews upcoming by-elections that could set the tone for the 2026 municipal elections.