South African here, we also have proportional representation, along with free and fair elections. It is not a magic bullet, we have been dominated by a single party for the last 30 years (since the end of apartheid and the dawn of democracy), so unless your population is educated and doesn't blindly vote out of loyalty.

But I still agree that proportional representation, even in its worst outcomes, is for me the fairest government, I really feel like my vote will count, especially in the last election in May where the ANC finally fell below 50% and had to go into a coalition government.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You also have rampant corruption I'm pretty sure

So yes, this alone won't help

[–] notaviking@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Wasn't always the case, corruption will always be present in any government. Ours got out of hand when our "FBI", called the Scorpions, decided not to prosecute Zuma when he was VP for corruption, if he steps down. So he stepped down and behind the scenes won the ANC party's presidency and then gained Presidency, using a Stalingrad legal tactic to indefinitely delay legal responsibility. Then he claimed political prosecution and the use of the Scorpions as proof and disbanded them. That basically was the fall of accountability in South Africa and what followed we now call the nine lost years and entrenched corruption. Zuma was a charismatic leader that used the presidency to protect himself from legal prosecution and to further enrich himself. Even now with Commissions into corruption like the Zondo State Capture Commission finding many individuals engaged in corrupt activities with black and white evidence, we haven't seen any real legal ramifications or really any convictions.