Tessa Dooms on Electoral Reform, the "GNU Marriage" & Why Politicians Fear Party Bosses

In this episode of Palatable Politics, we sit down with Tessa Dooms—Director at Rivonia Circle and activist. We dive deep into the flaws of South Africa’s political system, starting with why politicians are more afraid of their party bosses than they are of the voters. Tessa breaks down the urgent need for electoral reform, explaining why our current system (designed during the apartheid transition) protects big parties and allows them to recall MPs at will. We also discuss the rise of the Patriotic Alliance, the "sad indictment" of the DA recycling leaders like Helen Zille, and why the recent National Budget Speech was a rare win for the middle class. Finally, we unpack the dynamics of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and how parties are quietly "giving and taking" behind the scenes. #PalatablePolitics #TessaDooms #SouthAfrica #Elections2026 #LocalGovernment #GNU #BudgetSpeech #ElectoralReform #Politics #ANC #DA #palatablepolitics 00:00 - Intro: Tessa’s transition from activist to Power FM broadcaster 05:58 - "Radio Freedom": Using broadcasting as a tool for activism 11:00 - Why SONA’s "pageantry" doesn't matter to South Africans 13:04 - The Accountability Crisis: Why politicians fear party bosses, not voters 15:39 - The rise of the Patriotic Alliance & Gayton McKenzie 18:53 - Electoral Reform: How the 1994 system protects big parties today 31:20 - Local Government: Why you need to know your Ward Councillor 44:42 - The DA recycling leaders & the failure to build new talent 46:17 - Budget Speech 2026: A win for the middle class? 51:27 - Inside the GNU: How 10 parties reached a consensus on the budget