‘Shadow of Liberation explores the twists, turns, contestations and compromises of the African National Congress’ (ANC) economic and social policy-making, with a particular focus on the transition era of the 1990s and the early years of democracy. Padayachee and Van Niekerk focus on the primary question of how and why the ANC, given its historical egalitarian, redistributive stance, did such a dramatic about-face in the 1990s and moved towards an essentially market-dominated approach. Was it pushed or did it go willingly? What role, if any, did Western governments and international financial institutions play? And what of the role of the late apartheid state and South African business? Did leaders and comrades ‘sell out’ the ANC’s emancipatory policy vision?
Drawing on primary archival evidence as well as extensive interviews with key protagonists across the political, non-government and business spectrum, the authors argue that the ANC’s emancipatory policy agenda was broadly to establish a social democratic welfare state to uphold rights of social citizenship. However, its economic policy framework to realise this mission was either non-existent or egregiously misguided.
With the damning revelations of the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture on the massive corruption of the South African body politic, the timing of this book could not be more relevant. South Africans need to confront the economic and social policy choices that the liberation movement made and to see how these decisions may have facilitated the conditions for corruption – not only of a crude financial character but also of our emancipatory values as a liberation movement – to emerge and flourish. ‘
Inhoudsopgave
‘Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chapter 1 Setting the Scene on ANC Economic and Social Policy
Chapter 2 African Claims, the Freedom Charter and Social Democracy, 1943–1960
Chapter 3 Incarceration, Exile and Homecoming, c.1960–c.1991
Chapter 4 Economic Policy Debates during a Decade of Liberation, 1985–1993
Chapter 5 On the Way to GEAR, 1994–1996
Chapter 6 Making Sense of the Economic Policy Debates
Chapter 7 South African Reserve Bank Independence
Chapter 8 The Politics of Health Policy-Making in the Transition Era
Chapter 9 Interpretation and Conclusion
Select Bibliography
Index
‘
Over de auteur
Robert van Niekerk is Chair of Public Governance at the Wits School of Governance. He was active in policy-making processes for a democratic South Africa in education and health during and after the 1990’s transition era, including serving as a co-ordinator and policy analyst for the health section of the National Commission on Higher Education.
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