Is ‘another world’ really possible? Re-examining counter-hegemonic forces in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

A wide body of scholarly literature on social movements on an international level emphatically, but uncritically, declares that ‘another world is possible’. This paper investigates this trend and its implications for political and academic practice in post-apartheid South Africa, where community-based movements have emerged primarily in order to access basic services. In particular, it highlights the pivotal role that the state and poor people's immediate basic needs play in limiting social movements' contribution towards a transformative development agenda. Paying close attention to poor people's struggles and needs, the paper argues that there is a sharp disjuncture between the ideologies manufactured by academics, and the worldviews that the working class and poor possess. It concludes by providing insight into the possibilities for post-apartheid political struggles – praxis – to lead to the formation of class consciousness and to a formidable challenge to neoliberalism.

Policy, Politics and Poverty in South Africa

“…The claims being made on the state were also claims primarily for more or better or cheaper services and housing. Sinwell (2011), writing about the case of activists in Alexandra who sought to access housing built through the Alexandra Renewal Project, emphasizes 'the limitations of the strategic direction of even the most militant movements in the country, given the fact that they do not necessarily challenge the state per se, but rather seek to gain a piece of the pie on offer'. Everyday politics continued to revolve around patronage, with ANC councillors retaining authority insofar as they dispensed patronage to enough followers.…”

“…Pointer (2004) questioned the relationships between the leadership (mostly men) and the women who comprised the core of support for mostly nonviolent housing-related protests in parts of Cape Town in the early 2000s. The relationships between activists and ordinary participants was a theme taken up in many of the chapters in Ballard et al's Voices of Protest (2006a), and later by Sinwell (2011). Beinart and Dawson (2010) sought to locate post-apartheid protests in a longer history of protest.…”

Protest and Participation in Durban: A Focus on Cato Manor, Merebank and Wentworth

“…While ABM has been visible and active in Cato Manor's 'Marikana' settlement, their 'vision for a different kind of politics' has not impacted Masxha and Greenland protesters beyond a focus on mostly localcentred demands for services and for citizenship. So, participatory spaces remain restricted by hegemonic ideologies (Sinwell 2011). Similarly, SDCEA's advocacy and protest action in South Durban do not inspire a sustained commitment to protest or indeed to participate by Merebank and Wentworth residents.…”

Exploring mobile phone practices in social movements in South Africa – the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign

“…In the 1970s and 1980s in particular, South Africa witnessed militant and powerful community based movements, which used a wide range of tactics to deligitimize the local government (Sinwell 2011). However, the 1990s saw the rise of what are seen as 'new' social movements which are mainly concerned with social and economic justice issues due to dissatisfaction with state and corporate power.…”