The rise and decline of party activism in South Africa
Date
1997-10-06
Authors
Stadler, Alfred William
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Abstract
This paper is concerned to identify the decline in party activism
in South Africa since before the general election of 1994.
The paper falls into three parts: a brief overview of the general
literature on the problem, including references to developments in
post-colonial Africa; a schematic account of political activism in
black politics in South Africa since the end of the second world
war; and thirdly a series of cases in local politics in Mpumalanga
at the time of the local elections of 1996 which suggest that there
are areas where local party and social movement activism is still
visible in the form of internal conflicts, or conflicts between the
ANC and its allies, notably SANCO. These cases will be used to show
the sometimes complex relations in local politics, and specifically
the varied consequences of institutionalising democracy at the
local level.
The theoretical starting point lies in the debates which followed
Oscar Kirchheimer's famous prediction that the "mass integration"
class-based party which had politicised the European peasantry and
working class in an earlier period, had gone into decline after the
second world war, and was being displaced by the "catch-all
party". (1) Kirchheimer argued that the catch-all party abandoned all
efforts "at the intellectual and moral encadrement of the
masses,... turning more fully to the electoral scene, trying to
exchange effectiveness in depth for a wider audience and more
immediate electoral success. The narrower political task and the
immediate electoral goal differ sharply from the former allembracing
concerns..." (2)
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 6 October 1997
Keywords
African National Congress, Political parties. South Africa. History, 20th century