POST-APARTHEID AND THEATRE OF DISILLUSIONMENT IN MIKE VAN GRAAN’S GREEN MAN FLASHING AND ASHWIN SINGH’S TO HOUSE

The transition from apartheid to a democratic South Africa was marked by significant hope and expectation which made many to believe that the end of institutionalised racial segregation would bring about a new era of equality, freedom, and prosperity. However, the prospects of post-apartheid South Africa have often been marred by political, social, and economic disillusionment. It is against this backdrop that, this study depicts the tensions between the idealised vision of a new South Africa and the realities of continued social and political challenges in Mike Van Graan's Green Man Flashing and Ashivin Singh's To House. This is a qualitative research, utilising Mike van Graan's Green Man Flashing and Ashwin Singh's To House as the primary sources of data while other relevant sources such as library texts, journals and the internet were consulted as the secondary source of data. The study adopts Post-colonialism as its theoretical framework. Post-colonialism is a critical theory that explores the lasting impact of colonialism on former colonies, particularly in terms of power dynamics, cultural identity, and socio-political structures. Given the analysis of the primary texts, this study reveals that themes of political betrayal, racial disillusionment, and personal disappointment, are inherent tropes that vividly capture the multifaceted disillusionment experienced in post-apartheid South Africa. Thus, the study concludes that experience of postcolonial disillusionment in post-apartheid Africa highlights the moral compromises made in post-apartheid politics, where the quest for political stability often eclipses the rights of individuals, leaving them disillusioned with the very system that promised to protect them.