In this clip from Talking Sense Frans Cronje explains how South Africa is no longer a simple two-party contest between the ANC and the DA, but a system in which large parts of society are beginning to organise life outside the state. From private security and independent infrastructure to informal economies and community-level governance, these enclaves are becoming increasingly self-sustaining.

The conversation posits that this shift is now the DA’s real political challenge. The question is no longer whether it can outperform the ANC, but whether it can convince voters that it can deliver better outcomes than people can achieve on their own within these emerging enclaves. James Myburgh adds context on how state retreat and political underperformance accelerate this process, while Richard Tren probes whether this fragmentation could extend into formal political breakaway movements or deeper national division.