"The democratic moment" is, among other things, a look at the mass forces that swept Jacob Zuma to power in South Africa in 2009 and put an end to the elite politics of the Thabo Mbeki era. Trenchant and provocative, Xolela Mangcu looks at the new configuration of power in South Africa and in the process illuminates such topics as the new black elite, with particular attention to institutions such as the political opposition, the courts and the media. This is a book that will stimulate ideas, provoke discussion, create controversy and help to understand where South Africa stands as a society and a nation.