South Africa Loses Shared Spaces for Debate

Nomusa Mthembu describes a fading sense of shared national life in South Africa, linked to struggles within legacy media. She recalls a time when South Africans, despite deep disagreements, encountered one another through shared media like City Press and the Mail & Guardian. These publications fostered a national conversation, acting as a metaphorical “kraal” – a protective enclosure for a herd – that held diverse voices together.

Mthembu connects this loss to a broader erosion of trust in institutions, noting that citizens increasingly inhabit separate realities curated by algorithms. This fragmentation weakens the foundations of democracy, which relies on shared understanding and accountability. She draws a parallel to rural life, where cattle were collectively protected within a kraal, and argues that essential, unglamorous elements—like fact-checkers and legal review—are the “Ubulongwe,” or clay, holding the walls of civic life together.

While acknowledging that rebuilding shared spaces won’t be easy or immediately profitable, Mthembu suggests that localized initiatives—community radio, book clubs, engaged religious leaders—can begin to restore a sense of collective belonging. The work of strengthening these connections continues, even as the landscape shifts.