BEE Partner, South Africa Economy Watch

In any event, while perceived power symmetries may explain the willingness of both the ANC and the NP to enter into negotiations, the balance of power eventually shifted quite clearly to the ANC. The National Party sought, for example, a guaranteed white veto in the legislature (similar to that assured in Zimbabwe’s 1979 negotiations), and a leading role in writing the final constitution. Read the rest of this entry »

Faced with both domestic and international pressures, the South African state was “substantially weakened” by the late 1980s and early 1990s. As Pierre du Toit notes, many activities were beyond the reach of state control: corruption, dirty tricks, and clandestine murder among them. Thus the prospect of a negotiated settlement brought great risk (the potential loss of hegemony) as well as opportunity (the prospect of stemming economic losses and maintaining political control) for the government, as it did for the ANC. Nonetheless, both parties anticipated that they might use their positions and the perceived weakness of the other party to gain from negotiation. Read the rest of this entry »

A crucial error in socio-economic development is not asking the communities what they need. One-sided decisions on contributions to beneficiaries are often counterproductive because the people may, for example, want a bridge over the stream to get to town more easily, whereas the company instead builds a school that the community cannot service with teachers. Read the rest of this entry »