Transforming South Africa

The transformation of South Africa started in 1994 with the ANC's promise of “A Better Life for All” to the South African people. The concept of transformation, i. e. the project of (re-)constructing a (new) South African nation, may be characterised as soft transformation. This concept is built on state support for multiculturalism, reconciliation through truth (the Truth and Reconciliation Commission), affirmative action, and black economic empowerment. While the concept of soft transformation has to some extent moderated the conflict between the white minority and the Africans, it has been an ineffective strategy in the fight against unemployment and social inequality, as recent data indicate. Today 50 per cent of the economically active population is unemployed, and since 1994 the average income of black families has fallen. The outcome of soft transformation means, therefore, an ever-increasing gap between the haves (the white and black elite) and the (overwhelmingly black) have-nots in South Africa. Thus it appears undeniable that the ongoing transformation process will over the next ten years become more difficult than in the past eight years. This book discusses economic and spatial questions ranging from changing Modes of Production to Residential Dynamics, just as it addresses a spectrum of political and cultural issues from African Neo-liberalism to African Renaissance. In part it proposes alternatives to the soft transformation.