The Evolution and Fall of the South African Apartheid State: A Political Economy Perspective

Abstract

The article reviews the history of state intervention in South Africa's political economy. Both the political and economic evolution of the apartheid state are traced. More imponantly, it appraises the erosion of the apartheid state from the 1970s onwards as a result of the growing costs of apartheid and the increasing challenges it faced as South African society became increasingly mobilized. This is evidenced in the rise of tax revolts, paramilitary forces, people's courts, crime rate, and the collapse of black local authorities. Finally, it evaluates the strength of the apartheid state and argues that it represents a strong state within a weak one. The state in effect had a schizoid existence possessing pockets of extraordinary strength but with its power being narrowly diffused. The result was the slow but steady collapse of the state that led to the negotiation of a new constitutional settlement from a position of weakness. l. lntroduction The "grand plan" of apartheid required enormous supremacy by the central agent, the state. The state fashioned almost every facet of South African life. Its intervention in the economy determined the course of industrialization and the character of social relations. It co-<>pted white suppon through rewards and enforced black compliance through its security system. Its disintegration in the last decade is not surprising. However, it is remarkable that the state was able to manage this complex system whilst simultaneously directing the transformation of the South African economy. Thus, when looking at the potential role of the state in the post-apartheid era, it is useful to understand the nature and strength of the apartheid state. The paper starts off by briefly considering the history of South African state intervention and its role in promoting industrialization. It investigates whether the apartheid state can be regarded as a strong one, and looks at the gradual erosion of state power during the last two decades of apartheid.