Democracy goes direct

Chile’s new answer [View this email in your browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, An interesting chapter was entered into the annals of democracy this week. Chile, the sliver of bacon down the side of South America, on Monday [welcomed in the first draft of what might become its new constitution](. The nation will now deliberate before it heads to a referendum on 4 September — one in which all Chileans aged 18 or older must vote. The document set to be replaced has its roots in the brutal regime of General Augusto Pinochet, whose dictatorship reigned from his bloody coup in 1973 until 1990. In 2019, millions of protestors made it clear that they will no longer yield to those corrupt words and the government was compelled to hold a plebiscite to decide whether the constitution should be changed. In October 2020, an overwhelming 78% decided that it should be. But the main intrigue lies not in the why but the how. As we grapple with this reality, bail conditions for a senior Mpumalanga ANC member accused of raping his twin children have been relaxed to allow him more time to do work for the governing party in the province. The former MEC is out on R20 000 bail and is expected to be back in the dock early next year after the Nelspruit magistrates court’s decision on Tuesday. The provincial executive committee member was arrested in September, after the incident was reported to police in July. “Taking into consideration that one of the conditions of bail was to report to the police station every Friday, now he’s going to report once a month. The matter has been postponed to 21 January 2021 for the director of public prosecution’s decision,” NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said. In response to the call for an end to gender-based violence (GBV) in the country last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa allocated a budget specifically to deal with the issue, and initiated a national strategic plan aimed at eradicating GBV in the next five years. Earlier this month Ramaphosa, who has on a number of occasions this year referred to GBV as the “second pandemic”, called for a [national period of mourning]( to commemorate the lives lost to GBV and Covid-19 as part of this year’s 16 Days campaign. To further this sentiment, the president used his newsletter to highlight the importance of the campaign and note the ways in which GBV affects the country. During the five days of mourning, from today until Sunday, the national flag will fly at half-mast from 6am until 6pm, every day, and citizens are encouraged to wear a black arm band or black clothing to show solidarity. It is unlikely that any action will be taken by Ramaphosa in his capacity as the leader of the ANC. What is apparent, however, is that South African women continue to suffer at the hands of men. We should be grateful the president deigned to make encouraging noises, in a platitudinous newsletter, about how GBV is a scourge. Forget about action. Yours in solidarity Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2022 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change which mails you receive from Mail & Guardian? [Update your preferences]( to tell us what you do and don't want to receive, or [unsubscribe](. *If you are a paying subscriber, we recommend updating your preferences rather than unsubscribing, as you may miss important information relating to your subscription.