South Africa transitioned to democracy in the 1990s with a visionary constitution, but the promises of that constitution are largely unfulfilled to this day. Public leader Lindiwe Mazibuko explores how poor leadership failed to deliver a better life for the country’s citizens — and shares her mission to cultivate a new generation of ethical leaders who can revitalize democracy in South Africa and beyond.
If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas:
Follow TED!
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
Watch more:
TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at
#TED #TEDTalks #democracy
@HulaCan-nn1bn
December 5, 2023 at 9:58 am
Don’t look to politicians to lead. Let your leaders do that for you. Duh!
@meanderinoranges
December 5, 2023 at 9:59 am
Her heart’s in the right place, but her plan is flawed. You can’t have a lack of corruption without severely limited government. Because South Africa’government is so vast, it’s inevitably corrupt.
@Horstveratu
December 5, 2023 at 10:00 am
🤡💩
@EvO357
December 5, 2023 at 10:01 am
The zoo is looking for her,
She escaped & they need to put it in it’s cage.
@TheMrfrodough
December 5, 2023 at 10:10 am
If we had actual democracy maybe but we don’t.
Politicians (both parties) are literally owned by the rich at this point, there’s a Harvard study proving it.
The system is rigged against third parties being successful, and both parties rig elections. Republicans gerrymander and the democratic party does things like they just did in Florida which is canceling primaries.
Not even counting what the dnc did to sanders.
This video is either uninformed or deliberately unintelligent.
@lynnrolaf7422
December 5, 2023 at 10:47 am
I am surprised by the stupidity of this comment section. Democracies are supposed to allow all people to vote. And that is the point. We need to vote for better people! We HAVE that ability!!
@kaanmn
December 5, 2023 at 11:26 am
yeah lynn except transnational corporations hold more power than whoever is elected but thats great
@The6thelement9413
December 5, 2023 at 11:18 am
Well presented and thank you. I do hope both sides worldwide watch this presentation and if they have good reasoning skills, they will reevaluate their political choices. ❤
@federico___
December 5, 2023 at 12:24 pm
The iron law of oligarchy says that any democracy will turn into oligarchy! Democracy already lasted for too long, we need to move toward better alternatives. And authoritarian governments are not the only alternative, I just make this clear because any time I oppose to democracy people says I defend dictatorship, No! If I don’t like chocolate ice cream it doesn’t mean I must like vainilla ice cream, maybe I like strawberry ice cream.
@OminousFilm
December 5, 2023 at 12:32 pm
If only the public service officials would just, yeah know, do their job that the public tax paid for, and on something useful to the public needs or concerns, If only.
@Sumatiiii
December 5, 2023 at 12:42 pm
STOP THE CAP
@carsten2751
December 5, 2023 at 12:43 pm
What you call democracy I call Idiocracy.
@agenta1263
December 5, 2023 at 12:47 pm
Democracy clearly doesn’t work because we have a facist running against a dead guy, while most of the population thinks they are both unfit to rule. Sounds like a democracy to me😂
@dameanvil
December 5, 2023 at 1:25 pm
01:11 🗳 South Africa’s transition to democracy allowed millions of black South Africans, previously denied citizenship, to vote for the first time in a historic election.
02:58 📜 South Africa’s unique constitution not only declares freedoms but also guarantees rights to healthcare, education, housing, and more, obligating the government to realize these rights.
04:49 🤝 Despite constitutional guarantees, poor leadership in South Africa has hindered citizens’ access to these rights, leading to disillusionment with democracy among the country’s most vulnerable.
06:25 🔍 Personal experience in politics drove the realization that the problem lies more with the quality of leaders than with the democratic system itself.
08:10 🌟 Initiatives like Future Elect aim to nurture capable, ethical, and diverse leaders in South Africa and across the continent to promote better governance and representation.
10:40 📚 Investing in active citizenship through accessible learning tools empowers the younger generation to engage between elections, demand accountability, and actively participate in governance.
11:23 🌍 Leaders of integrity, regardless of political affiliation, can collaborate to craft laws and systems that reflect and reinforce society’s highest aspirations within a democratic framework.
@leviefrauim1425
December 5, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Pure democracy always fails because it always devolves into mob rule, where the majority always overrules the minority. That’s why the Founding Fathers of the USA formed a republic and the word ‘democracy’ is not mentioned in the Constitution.
@Wanderor2003
December 5, 2023 at 1:51 pm
I feel like, across the world, too many sociopaths or authoritarians are elected. It seems the people become a bit lazy or jaded and vote for the ‘strong’ who will push in a given direction (even when that direction is unclear or even proto-fascist). I do also want participatory democracy (read: beyond just voting), which is shown to work in practice.
@watchomotoki2301
December 5, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Nigeria is dying
@andycordy5190
December 5, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Give us an army of women like this❤️❤️❤️
People who can energise their peers to believe in a better way. People who are committed to improve the lives of the poor and under educated.
Nobody in British politics is offering this. Both sides of our house of commons filled with professional politicians who only aim is power. Most thinking more about how they can feather their own nest, shin up that greasy pole, how they look on camera rather than what the role of democracy has become and why nobody bothers when a series of Prime ministers are elected not by the people but by a right wing cabal, one of whom tried to overturn the rule of parliament the moment he took office.
@rethabilethamae2240
December 5, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Democracy works, but how much Democracy should be given? I’m of the opinion that if Democracy is over-exercised then corruption is inevitable.
@KrazeDiamond
December 5, 2023 at 5:23 pm
The core of “Democracy” is a Government that takes the country in direction according to the will of the people; where policy-making/policy-reforms are all done according to the will of the people. When you have Oligarchic-Capitalism, there is no “Democracy” for as long as the Capitalist Oligarchs can endorse politicians and lobby legislators, and multi-party Electoral System factually makes it worse. Having better leaders do absolutely nothing because the cadidates with the most endorsements will win, votes are literally swayed by manipulation. If you think we have “Democracy”, then you’re completely clueless. Endorsement and Lobbying are legalized corruption.
@potapotapotapotapotapota
December 5, 2023 at 7:05 pm
The whole argument is stupid because any kind of system works if the people running it and the people under it are good people. The problem is that each system has its pros and cons and have a tendency towards evil in certain aspects if evil people exist within the system.
@cash_burner
December 5, 2023 at 10:07 pm
We need to get rid of rich people as leaders
@JCOwens-zq6fd
December 5, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Rule by the ignorant selfish mob will never work, it always ends up being conrolled by a shadow elite from behind the scenes.
@DonkeyKong992
December 6, 2023 at 1:53 am
If life was fair… Lindi should be the current President of South Africa
@user-bs5vt7dl8z
December 6, 2023 at 2:55 am
Capitalism Works — We Just Need Better Billionaires
@user-bs5vt7dl8z
December 6, 2023 at 3:03 am
USA, in an attempt to seize African markets, decided to get rid of a strong regional competitor in South Africa and asked the CIA to release Nelson Mandela, who was already old at that time and had spent 30 years in prison, into which the US CIA had sent him. Just for reference how democracy works.
@importantname
December 6, 2023 at 4:38 am
The flaw is that the voters get what they deserve. For better leaders, the voters have to work harder at keeping their elected representatives actually doing what they said they would…. And that you should not vote for liars, cheats, frauds, or people you think are funny.
@user-ii8iz5df7z
December 6, 2023 at 8:34 am
Lol that is Pudge
@nemolapse108
December 6, 2023 at 9:11 am
Democracy is a false illusions, as you can see results in today’s world 🙂🙂🙂
@arnswine
December 6, 2023 at 11:33 am
Unfortunately, what we really need is better voters. Can’t have that until the “free speech” anachronism is upgraded to make “lying” a trial-by-jury crime equivalent to treason. Can’t have that until the refinement, protection of, and access to knowledge as it evolves over time is recognized as the real jewel of democracy – far more important and precious than the right to bullshit and defraud each other to death in the name of free enterprise. Can’t have that until… well… it’s too late. Public education was transformed into a budget-enforced caste system, public libraries were turned into places for the homeless to piss, and knowledge became proprietary…
@estebanllano4514
December 6, 2023 at 12:49 pm
All we need is to teach the complete lesson. When Democracy was conceived if by any chance the leaders elected liked to take advantage of the institutions the Democratic system is formed by, the people was more than allowed to do whatever it took to thrown the bad leader away in order to preserve the system. The actual system seem not to work because we are actually using half the system.
@bumpsangrimez
December 6, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Nope. Better citizens. Less democracy and more actual leadership
@line1890
December 6, 2023 at 7:40 pm
a conniving house speaker to a cousin President in stoling the peoples money along with its allies is a useless democratic system, Unitary form of government is far better compare to the aforementioned that it has a senate and congress who are jointly siphoning the peoples coffers and the Philippines is a classic example which is happening now.
@OskarAK907
December 6, 2023 at 9:16 pm
But we do not live in a democracy… We live in an oligarchy…
@thomasgerber5223
December 7, 2023 at 5:01 pm
Success is dependent on the action or steps you take to achieve it.. show me a man who doesn’t have an investment and I will tell you how soon he’ll go broke .. investment is building a safe heaven for the future. with the right choice of investment that has at least 1% minimum risk and with an expert guidance profit and interest is 100% guaranteed.
@allwaizeright9705
December 8, 2023 at 2:46 am
Everyone in the U.S. thinks we live in a DEMOCRACY – Thankfully we don’t. We live in a REPUBLIC… Direct democracies eat themselves apart faster…
@SeriouslySteyn
December 8, 2023 at 3:35 am
Is democracy, democracy if you have extremely and openly corrupt leaders?
*Asking for all South Africans
@devilevil8075
December 8, 2023 at 9:35 am
What I think is “Fitness works, you just good trainer and mental strength”
@petertattersall6419
December 8, 2023 at 1:36 pm
This makes me laugh… Before I waste 12mins of my life… We need better leaders… Democracy is run on greed… Not what is politically right. Your best off having green peace in power than any of the major 3… At least their goal is to protect the environment, may actually be one for the people rather than milking a non existent debt that we owe but cannot ever repay 👍
@miriamnightingale
December 8, 2023 at 6:37 pm
No, thats not true.
@miriamnightingale
December 8, 2023 at 6:40 pm
Allways nice to have someone to blame. If you only blame leaders you will never have democracy.