The South African left is going through a profound transition from an underground resistance movement to an open political party. It has one foot in the new Government of National Unity and the other in a restive popular base impatient for structural economic and social change. Some argue that the left has so muted its politics that it has lost its identity as a revolutionary force. Others say the it is on track to complete the main tasks of the NDR and to position itself to struggle for socialism. The truth is more complex than these alternatives suggest.