Lecture 10 - South Africa PDF

Lecture 10 - South Africa Other Notes South Africa Democratic Development Another new democracy like Brazil (as both are from the 3rd wave). However, it is extremely different from Brazil, thus, since democratization, South A...

Lecture 10 - South Africa Other Notes South Africa Democratic Development Another new democracy like Brazil (as both are from the 3rd wave). However, it is extremely different from Brazil, thus, since democratization, South Africa has been dominated by a single party. → now the party has lost its influence. It is one of the few democratic states in Africa, as most are authoritarian. No shift around 1950(-40) was oligarchic regime in which other populations had little voting rights. Democratized in the early 1990s after the Apartheid regime (which ended in 1994 and gave general suffrage). This event is compared to the fall of the Berlin wall or Charles de Gaulle. SA is not only one of the few democratic states in Africa, but also one of the best economic states in Africa as it is one of the few who has a prominent middle class Together with Nigeria are some of the biggest players in Africa (sanctioning, sending forces) South Africa used when discussing Power-Sharing A Political Map… Lecture 10 - South Africa 1  9 provinces and two regions which are not actually part of South Africa. South Africa has some geographical isolation. Not only because they are at the South, but because the borders with northern states are mainly desserts. Most of SA is populated from the South. Started to be colonized from the West, as you go closer to the East, it goes darker. → the most unequal country in the world. Coast was the most fertile, people fled from the British more inland (east) these areas are therefore still dominated by the black population today. Racial diversity More property for the rich white elites. 4 main racial groups identified in the constitution (remained after the end of the Apartheid) in the case of affirmative action policies you need to maintain these categories Linguistic/ethnic diversity there are 11 recognized languages they have increasing political relevance and salience (they see themselves as different from other black majority populations) Major players (Xhoza, Zalu and Afrikaans) Migration Violence are common in the urban areas where migrants go to find work. Large scale riots → destruction of shops owned by migrants We see internal divisions but we see that migration within the country and across borders are also increasing. Lecture 10 - South Africa 2  Pre-Colonial South Africa Zulu Kingdom → strong military society → being a distinct group with resistance towards colonial rule and gives the Zulu group a feeling of being separate from the rest of South Africa even today. 17th – 19th Century: Colonization 1652: arrival of Dutch settlers (who overtook the Portuguese) Portuguese were the first to arrive in the 16th Century to find routes to India In 1652, the Dutch arrived and colonized Cape Town as a strategic point for the Dutch East Indian Company. (Pilgrims from the Netherlands claimed the land and drove the native populations to the east) These settlers were farmers (Boer), which not only exploited the soil but also the native populations. 1814: Cape Colony becomes British Dutch global colonial power declined, therefore, peacefully Cape Colony becomes British in 1814. British were interested in the fertile regions → British immigrants would come and the Dutch could only oversee 1835 - 1840: Great Trek The first thing British did was to illegalize slavery. The settler farmers did not like it, so they moved inwards to the East, to the more densely populated areas of SA. This is known as the Great Trek of 1835, in where Dutch settlers managed to conquer the territories. Boer Republics → The Dutch set autonomous territories governed by them (not the Dutch state anymore). These were filled with natural resources (diamond, gold...) and resulted in different wars between Boers and British. (still important regions today) Boer Wars & Union 1880 – 1881: First Boer War All of the regions were important for mineral exploitation → pushed more east. Lecture 10 - South Africa 3  The Boer won to the British thanks to their guerrilla warfare and well knowledge of the territory (knowledge of territory later used by the Nazi regime) Bad rep for the British → being defeated by Farmers. 1899 – 1902: Second Boer War The British won. It was the first war in where the British used concentration camps to demoralize Boers 1910: Union of South Africa Created → it is where the Boer territories join with the British Colony and empire 1926: Independence The Union of SA was extremely decentralized (since the Boer still had power over their territories), this might explain by SA is still decentralized (even though not federal). Had Namibia for a time as well → and were responsible for overseeing it until 1990. The Apartheid Regime (1948-1994) 1914 Formation National party Small amount had voting rights. Apartheid itself made it into a Codified Legal System. After abolition of slavery, enormous inequalities and discrimination still was in place in informal manners. Afrikaners tried to stablish themselves in power, so they created the National Power in the 30s. 1948: National Party starts Apartheid supported by whites and colored The Apartheid created 10 different regions in where ethnic groups (native African) where forced to live in (which were basically deserts) From the start, there is a huge opposition to the Apartheid, which is peaceful as they follow Gandhi's idea Racist, repressive regime The Apartheid Political System 1950: Population Registration & Group Areas Act Lecture 10 - South Africa 4  four categories were an instrument of the regime, still apparent today (affirmative action) but at the time they divided people into categories for separation purposes. It divided the population into white, colored/mix, black and other→ these are still present nowadays It also forced these groups NOT to mix (you cannot reside in other areas) 1951: Separate Representation of Voters Act Only whites are seen as citizens of SA, therefore, only whites have the right to vote 1983: Third South African Constitution They try to open due to external pressure Blacks finally manage to get the right to vote, but only to vote a secondary parliament that has little to no real power Core Features of the Apartheid Regime Only whites (10-20% of population) have political rights Dahl (1971): competitive oligarchy Nominally democratic institutions → the same institutions tend to still be visible today. Parliamentary system with ceremonial president → this has now changed after 1994 Politics dominated by National Party → only the white voted, but capitalized off of the fears of the white population. There were parties against this led by white liberals (Democratic Alliance was a long running opposition but has since joined in) The Bantustans Reminiscent of the Indian native populations in the US Limited parts of the territory → best lands were given to the white majority Lecture 10 - South Africa 5  Link between linguistic diversity (Zulu, Xhoza) → therefore we see colonial divisions and the different groups were not able to communicate therefore building cross-cutting cleavages was difficult. There were about 200+ parties that could not agree between each other and led to tensions → now a days the struggle against the Apartheid has decreases, but now we see a return to fragmentation and a descent into different parties. Resistance to Apartheid Stronger state than in Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique we saw civil wars here against the Apartheid regime empowerment of democracy? has declined over the years Non-violent resistance as well as violent resistance (escalation) there was a strong state, strong security forces. did turn violent overtime. 1960: Sharpeville massacre (many were killed by SA government) → change in opposition strategy as anti-Apartheid joins with communist and becomes much more violent 1963: Rivonia trial leads to the incarceration of Nelson Mandela (the leader of the opposition party and was therefore sent to jail for the switch to violent resistance) 1912: African National Congress Resistance to Apartheid Soweto Uprising → inquisition for the black and white populations important for both the white and black population something we have seen in the past comparing to France Cultural Assimilation (suppression of languages from the government) Strikes, Protests did increase → saw a transition from below which eventually led to economic losses and brought down the Apartheid regime. 1990s: the End of Apartheid 1990: Mandela freed from prison Elites no longer agreed with the Apartheid regime → this was because ordinary people were taking actions so again transition from below. Lecture 10 - South Africa 6  Western states (US) defended Apartheid because it fought against Communism Once Cold War ended, West states became much more critic of it and SA slowly got internationally rejected (ie: boycotts, which lead to economic stagnation) due to the sanctions and transitions from below. On top of that, the leader of the National Party wanted to gradually liberalized the Apartheid Regime (for instance, freed Mandela from prison in 1990) they wanted to change → secret negotiations with Mandela. 1993: adoption of interim constitution At this moment, very difficult conversations lead to adopting a new interim constitution in 1993 (for which both got the Peace Nobel Prize) 1994: first democratic elections took place → for all populations this was very fundamental. had agreed that elections will not be super competitive this might create among the white population → they agreed on a government of national unity together with the ANC. (still seen today) A New Settlement 1996: Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) established How to deal with the aftermath? How could we deal with the shift in power? Suddenly, the minority that had been suppressing the majority was going to be resuppressed To solve the issue, Mandela forgive everyone who was involved in the Apartheid Regime. 1996: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established, which aim was to find and explain everything what happened but to forgive them rather than punish them, this was a method of unity for the people. 1996: New constitution adopted (drafted by ANC & NP) adopted by both, the ANC and the National Party. This implied that the Apartheid political system was established, but heavily modified and extended there were discussions between liberal and majoritarian notions of democracy. Lecture 10 - South Africa 7  this is different from Northern Ireland where the government still has to keep track of the Catholic and Protestant populations. Apartheid political system modified and extended 1994 – 1997: Government of National Unity (ANC, NP, IFP) The first government (1994-1997) was a government of National Unity (formed by both parties) Cleavages: Race & Language Apartheid: four official races The classifications from Apartheid are still heavily present (black, mix, white and others) → more from Affirmative Action If you look where people live (for instance, Cape Town) the formal territories from Apartheid are still very much present Religion is also very much divided by territory and race (West catholic, East no) 10 Bantustans White divisions (Afrikaans/English) → Whites can either be Afrikaans (coming from the Boers) or English Black divisions (11+ ethnic groups) → Black divisions are among ethnic and native groups 11 official languages Rainbow nation? → is it really considering the struggle Still a Segregated Society..? Still a lot of segregation Western area → was the most fertile and therefore more populated by the whites. Lecture 10 - South Africa 8  This division is seen in voting as well (Salience) Race, Region & Voting Behavior 2009 East → ANC is still very popular Cleavages: Race & Class Highest Gini coefficient in the world Even though everyone has increased their salaries and income, SA still has the highest Gini coefficient in the world (which means it has the highest economic inequality in the world). For instance, 90-95% of assets are still owned by 10% of the population (mainly whites) Overlapping / parallel cleavages → Therefore, race, region and class are very much overlapping → in terms of identity, race but also ethnic groups, poverty → has not led to much political instability but more towards political Salience. The 1996 Settlement Debate between: Liberal vs. majoritarian notions of democracy → There was a fight between rather democracy should be liberal or majoritarian (should blacks get to dominate as they are the majority, or should white minority rights be protected?) Lijphart: “clearly a consociational democracy” Debate about position of: 1. Presidency (rotating or not?) → Northern Ireland and Bosnia are relevant (one of the systems is to make sure there are representatives of each group, or a type of rotating presidency) → There was no rotating presidency in the end. 2. Bicameralism (strong or weak?) → Liberal Democratic Notions come with the Federal Systems → subnational unit representatives protect these units from the Federal Government → strong bicameral system is protection from dominance → There was no strong upper chamber, or federal system in the end. 3. Electoral system (PR or SMD?) → The white national party wanted SMD, because then they would be able to maintain strength in the localities where the white population is the majority, some wanted to implement → Settled as proportional in the end. Lecture 10 - South Africa 9  4. Grand coalition (government of national unity) → Settled with a no in the end (no represented/protection for specific groups) 5. National government longevity (1 term or longer?) → Settled with a no in the end. The black population wanted participation. 6. Decision-making within GNU (veto powers?) → different veto powers for specific population groups? → Not done in the end. 7. Federalism → provinces are centralized but the national party can overpower them easily. (ANC does not want white to put little systems in Apartheid) Hamill: “comprehensive victory for a majoritarian political philosophy” (the ANC won in terms of the institutional structures. The black population is still poorer because the ANC lost heavy program of heavy project of economic distribution and land distribution.) Mixed Republican System Constitution: Supreme law of the land (see: Germany) Is extremely powerful, as they took the German Constitution as example Emphasis on individual and minority rights (liberal democracy) It has a huge emphasis on minority rights (very leaning to liberal democracy, which whites wanted so that they could keep their assets) Especially when it comes to property and lands. Emphasis on affirmative action → to close inequalities Institutions: Parliamentary system with executive presidency The parliament is directly elected by the people President elected by (and among) the parliament Government depends on parliamentary majority → which means the parliament can veto and get the government out. Decentralized provincial government (but formally no federation) → pretty strong provinces but not a federal system. The President Lecture 10 - South Africa 10  Head of State and Head of Government (Mandela was the first) Elected from among National Assembly therefore → depends on parliamentary majority, weak veto (president has veto but it can be easily overruled) Weaker than typical president, stronger than typical prime minister → has the right to dissolves parliament, call for a referendum, influence foreign policy. It selects and dismisses ministers, being its main power. Cannot call snap elections in South Africa → needs parliament support → makes the parliament really strong. Parliament: National Assembly The stronger chamber, the lower chamber 400 members, elected for a 5-year term If there is a fight between upper and lower house, the National Assembly can override the upper house if they have a 2/3 majority Parliamentary Elections Apartheid: SMD/FPTP system Since 1994: The system is now a List PR system → pushed by whites in order to make sure they remained in power (Open List PR) Vote for party, not person → voting for ONLY the party makes the party extremely powerful (in deciding who gets elected) → Voters do not vote for individual candidates in specific districts. The parties receive seats in the National Assembly based on the percentage of the national vote they receive. The party then fills the allocated seats with candidates from a party list which is pre-determined by the party before the election. 200 candidates from province lists → the lists are drawn up by each party and the allocation of seats reflects how well each party does within a province 200 candidates national lists → allocated based on national party list. (The 200/200 seat allocation is known as a two-tier system.) Do districts and No threshold → SA is one large district serving for the elections of the national portion, and then provinces serve as larger “districts” for the provincial portion. Produces strong party discipline (in comparison to open list Brazil and its weak party discipline) Lecture 10 - South Africa 11  And lack of intra-party democracy → lack of intraparty democracy (party leader decides who is in parliament or party list). This reinforces the power of the ANC The power of the ANC has always been dominant, but it is steadily decreasing through time. Most surely, in Eastern site (populated by blacks) they have lost popularity while in the West (white populated) they have gained popularity 2024 Parliamentary Elections 159 seats (below the 200 mark) → there was no majority general loss since new population, HIV crisis and Covid crisis Democratic Alliance (liberal white party along the west) → strongest opposition party now joining the government. National Council of Provinces The upper chamber (there is a bicameral system but in this case it is Weak) 90 members (10 per province), indirectly (s)elected → not population based. Larger provinces have the same people and votes as smaller ones (not the same in Germany) 6 from district government (known as permanent members) 4 from state government and parliament (known as special delegates) There are 9 powerful provinces with their own constitutions (Western ones being controlled by Whites) so they have quite a lot of autonomy. However, SA is NOT a federal state since the central government can overturn legislation in any moment! Since 2009, the DA wins elections from West Cape while the rest is won by the ANC Constitutional Court Lecture 10 - South Africa 12  11 members, 12-year terms Appointed by president on the basis of recommendation judicial commission It is one of the strongest in Africa, and it does NOT shy away to judge and investigate the government. However, some criticize the court for being too leaning with the ANC as they are elected by them Civil society took the government to court → decided that the government had to make medication be available. Provinces of South Africa 9 powerful provinces with their own constitutions No federal state (central government can overturn legislation) Since 2009: DA wins in Western Cape province → cannot go against the black population because there is protection from the federal government. 2024: Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe wins in Kwazulu-Natal A power-sharing success? There are different systems (Northern Ireland in order to have the peace between C and P we need a focus on national unity - there should be a leader from each group. This is the same in Bosnia.) Corporate Power Sharing (what we call it) → designate people into ethnic groups officially and then give them seats according to their ethnic identity. Seen as the only way to build peace. Comes with the downside of → never overcoming the fact that divided people in such a way see themselves not as a nation but as a distinct group within a nation. Liberal Power Sharing → no protection for the different groups. But in the constitutions we see defense for individual freedom and minority protection. There are ways to protect the different groups. Seen as better when it comes to looking at ethnicity issue. (nobody talks about ethnicity and people are not encouraged to vote this way, but elites have informal power-sharing showing a PM might form a cabinet that includes different ethnicities so that people forget marginalization) (same discussion as with affirmative action) External power-sharing Lecture 10 - South Africa 13  The tendency of international actors (after seeing a conflict) come in and bring in power sharing agreements (mediators: one VP, one President from different groups). This is the most unstable form of power sharing because: 1: international actors stop violence but after agreements are signed nobody monitors whether this actually worked. 2: if every time an international organization comes with power-sharing agreements, which often include rebel groups, they create a moral hazard within the system (rebel groups start violence within the system itself). Building the Rainbow Nation Not group-based (corporate) power-sharing Direct interventions: affirmative action → controversial on all sides (yeah, sometimes you need to put certain people in certain positions. Not even helpful) Indirect measures: narratives of unity → allows them to see beyond the borders of their own group. Parties and Governments Political Parties: ANC (the most important) Founded 1912 Nonviolent movement for multiracial democracy 1950: alliance with SACP (communist party) 1960: foundation of Umkhonto we Sizwe (guerrilla) Ideology: Marxism to social democracy Racial equality and Economic equality Since 1990s: capitalism & liberalism Permanently in power since 1994 Political Parties: Democratic Alliance Successor of Progressive Federal Party (PFP) → which was an opposition party under Apartheid. Nowadays is supported mainly by whites Lecture 10 - South Africa 14  Founded 2000 (before: Democratic Party) Ideology: Liberalism Centrism Multiracial democracy Anti-corruption Minority rights Supported primarily by whites, Asians, colored → It is mainly voted by whites, Asians and coloured 2015-2019: Mmusi Maimane as first black leader → From 2015 and 2019 they pushed for the first black leader to try and attract black votes, but they didn't manage to Electoral growth since 1994 Political Parties: EFF Founded 2013 by Julius Malema Left-wing split-off from ANC → They are rapidly growing since many blacks that voted for ANC now vote them Ideology: Marxism / socialism Anti-capitalism Pan-Africanism Economic redistribution and Land reform Populism 2019 & 2024 elections: > 10% of votes Political Parties: Inkatha Freedom Party Founded 1975 Governing party of KwaZulu Bantustan Rivalry with ANC; Apartheid cooptation → rivalry with ANC as they were afraid they would attack their interest. Consequently, IFP coopted with the Apartheid Lecture 10 - South Africa 15  Ideology: Zulu minority rights → it even has its own institutions that controls in their tribe Federalism, devolution Traditional leadership and is extremely conservative Political violence 1990s – 2000s and then a steady electoral decline Political Parties: uMkhonto weSizwe Former name ANC paramilitary wing → Zulu dominated Since 2023: political party under leadership Jacob Zuma Populism (black impoverishment) Zuma Nationalism Against Xhosa dominated ANC Xenophobic End of one-party dominance? Have seen the end of one-party dominance involving other parties ANC longevity & decline other parties were invited but refused to join ANC very popular in the beginning → “are they bringing the country in the right direction?” increasing support and the legacy of Apartheid is still a struggle decrease in voter turnout use of state violence from the ANC → led to decline. Ties to voters: clientelism ANC connect to voters → same issues as in Brazil vote-buying (not prohibited) relational-clientelism Ethnic ties Lecture 10 - South Africa 16  Traditional leaders in Bantustans receive privileges in return for votes → clientelism towards brokers. Ethnic composition of ANC matters A ‘multi-ethnic party’? → as long as corruption is present Elite clientelism & corruption Clean democracy or elite infighting (cfr. Russia, China)? Mbeki – Zuma – Ramaphosa → image that the country might start to look like Nigeria. Declining voter trust 2024: Still one of Africa’s few democracies End of dominant one-party state Ethnic parties and mobilization? Proportionality from a ‘good thing to a ‘bad’ thing? Lecture 10 - South Africa 17