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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:A Culture of Boycott: Reasons for the Fragility of South Africa's Democracy at the Local Level: The Case of Umtata/Transkei
Author:Asendorpf, DirkISNI
Year:2000
Periodical:Afrika Spectrum
Volume:35
Issue:3
Pages:273-292
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:democracy
municipal government
Politics and Government
Ethnic and Race Relations
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Abstract:Between 1994 and 1999 South Africa was officially labelled a society in transition. Constitution, legal framework, public institutions and political structures were changed fundamentally. However, the rapid democratization of the legal and administrative framework is faced with a political culture that has been formed by an undemocratic society. This paper analyses how this confrontation shapes the work of the new democratic institutions. It is based on an empirical study of the transformation process in Umtata, former capital of the Transkei 'homeland', conducted between January 1997 and July 1999. Mass action and a culture of boycott continue to be the main means of political expression in the public. Political culture is a lot more confrontational than cooperative. The paper describes four key areas of the transition process: the problems of getting people to pay for municipal services like electicity, the population invasion into the peri-urban areas, the failure of all attempts to regulate the local taxi industry and citizens' expectations in regard to the future of their town. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English, French and German.
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