This paper seeks to address the question of 'the left' in contemporary South Africa in two
senses. First, in terms of the health of leftist politics and second, it asks to what extent are the
self-identified left, progressive in any meaningful sense. The first half of the paper reflects on
the development situation in South Africa and highlights how amongst most sections of the
left there is broad agreement on the triple challenge of unemployment, rising inequality and
poverty. The second half of the paper identifies three different sections to the contemporary
left in South Africa (the Tripartite Alliance, the left outside of the Alliance and the remnants
of the revolutionary socialist left). It argues that the Alliance left, despite the introduction of
the New Growth Path, are failing to implement the radical policy changes needed to address
the challenges identified. The left outside of the Alliance, meanwhile, despite recent attempts
at co-ordination, remains largely ineffective and divorced from the mass base.