Does anybody read manifestos?

Election manifestos do not sway voters. This was the overriding conclusion of a debate hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand in March ahead of the South African elections. Participants in the debate agreed that manifestos constituted "sound and fury signifying nothing".
Political journalist Justice Malala argued that party manifestos do not form the basis of a voter's decision. Rather, he claimed, it is the actions and media image of a candidate that count. Malala said that in the digital age, choices were made "on the basis of the sound bite" rather than extensive policy documents.
Another panelist, Chris Hart, an economist, said that the economic aspects of South African election manifestos were mostly "hot air with very little detail". The solutions offered by political parties to economic problems were often "flowery promises" that were never realistically possible, and demonstrated a lack of understanding of economics.
The economist went on to say that this year's election was an unusual one, as it was being contested under the conditions of a recession. Hart's objection to the election manifestos currently in circulation was that parties were introspectively focused while they should be offering views on how to deal with the economic crisis.

Professor Susan Booysen from the University of the Witwatersrand's graduate school of public and development management agreed that the manifesto was not a "magic wand" to inspire and draw voters but said they did have a role to play.

"They actually do make a difference ... they are not magic wands but they are one way in which voters extract accountability.

"Voters do remember ... election manifestos have a big role and help keep parties accountable."

Booysen said she read the manifestos "side-by-side" and found that they seldom varied.

"It's remarkable, there is so much policy compatibility... South Africa has moved toward a huge amount of consensus over policy over the past years.

"All parties have seemingly converged... the difference will be in the way they implement these policies and the difference in emphasis on the various issues," she said.