Mdlalose, Bandile2017-10-202017-10-202014-12Mdlalose, B. (2004). The rise and fall of Abahlali baseMjondolo, a South African social movement. Politikon, 41(3), 345-353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2014.9901491470-1014http://hdl.handle.net/10625/56715Abstract onlyThe Abahlali baseMjondolo organisation rose as a grassroots social movement in South Africa in the mid-2000s, but since the 2014 election, has taken a change of direction away from its original purpose. Mdlalose recounts, from personal experience, the internal problems that caused the dissolution of this promising organization. Mdlalose points to the roles of outsiders, funders, academics and the media in contorting the organizations path, and identifies internal concerns such as problems in the lines of communication, vanguardism and strains of sexism and tribalism that counteracted the organizations goals. The author also highlights concerns with leadership decisions and necessity to learn from past failures for the organization to move forward.enGRASSROOTS SOCIAL MOVEMENTSVANGUARDISMSEXISMTRIBALISMSOUTH AFRICAJournal Article (peer-reviewed)