Tmnsftmabixn 1
 EDITORIAL
  TRANSPCFMftlEU is a new South African journal intended to
serve as a forum for analysis and debate about this society and
the surrounding region.
   Change seems to be definitely on the South African agenda.
"Reform" is the catchphrase of the day. Its material content
will have major political and economic implications for our
lives. Whether it will be fundamental, and how farreaching it
will be, is the concern of all those involved in this country.
  Attention is intensely focused on the daily rush of events as
the balance of forces and the nature of consciousness shifts.
However, without clear analyses of objectives and forces
impeding or facilitating advances, such struggle is in danger of
becoming "all movement and no direction". Ihere is, therefore,
a fundamental need to situate these day to day movements and the
emerging broader patterns into a current and historical
framework for analysis and criticism. History, more than ever,
has its own particular pertinence for all struggles to create a
new future.
   Contemporary conditions in South Africa are altering rapidly.
Ihe balance of class forces that has shaped this society's past
is undergoing a fundamental restructuring. New class initia-
tives are apparent with every twist and turn of struggle. Fresh
contradictions and struggles for different alliances pervade all
the social forces on the historical stage. As part of this
process capital is reorganising its agenda in order to bring
about political restabilisation and a renewed basis for sus-
tained accumulation. Ihere is a new terrain of state reaction,
intervention and ideological experimentation.
   Cne striking aspect of the new terrain of mass politics is the
openly expressed interest in socialist ideas and practices. Ihe
 two catchphrases in this new mass politics are 'socialism' and
 'democracy'. Sometimes they are counterposed as a political
 choice between 'workerists' and 'populists'; sometimes they are
 fused as a struggle for 'democratic socialism'. Yet the whole
 question of what these concepts mean has not been seriously
 broached. Sectarianism, dogmatism, and violent resolution of
 differences of opinion too often characterise political


 Tmnsfomabion 1
 discussions. TRflNSPOfWATICN will examine these issues in a
 spirit which is intended to spur debate and encourage the
 exposition of different considered positions but without any
 partisanship other than the conviction that there is no settled
 and established doctrine on the subject.
    We are aiming to provide a suitable outlet for such thinking.
 We hope thereby to seize this opportunity to sharpen our
 understanding of the forces that continue to shape this society
 and to understand the potential for its transformation.
    IKflNSroBMATEU intends particularly to consider, both
 historically and currently, the class nature of South African
 society; political, cultural and ideological domination in all
 its ramifications; the constitution of the state and its
 potential for reform; the process of capital accumulation and
 the economic consequences of crisis; and the political options
available to tine different classes.
   The material in our first issue reflects the new terrain of
politics. All contributors grapple, although from different
methods and perspectives, with the problem of moving on from the
era of the 1950s, the last period where the questions of
transformation were openly raised in South Africa.
   Hudson addresses the status of the Freedom Charter and the
concepts closely associated with it, particularly 'internal
colonialism'. Without discarding the Charter as an important
political document he outlines the historical basis of the
concepts that are usually used to underpin it, roost importantly
that of 'national democracy' and subjects them to criticism. In
so doing he raises, without developing, the issue of the Freedom
Charter's relationship to a socialist project.
   Who can doubt that one of the most important issues facing all
forces in this society is the 'national question'? Alexander's
concern with this question is well known, and in this text he
tackles the issue through a detailed critique of other authors
on the subject. Whether his resolution of the national question
is convincing is of course a matter for further debate.
   Freund's challenging piece is intended to raise debate. He
takes issue with a number of the dominant ideological
conceptions infusing popular politics in this country. His main
thrust is that much of the 'orthodox' theory that has dominated


Tamsfamabian. 1
the popular movement is out of touch with the new terrain of
mass politics and the possibilities for socialism and democracy
in South Africa.
  Sisulu's keynote address to the National Education Crisis
Committee conference in Durban in t^feirch of this year was an
important conceptual and strategic intervention. The conference
was marked by a decision to recommend the return to school by
black scholars. This decision has cans to be regarded as a
strategic shift in mass politics for the return to school was
clearly not a surrender to the state but seen as part of a
broader strategy for change. Sisulu's address raised many of
the strategic issues and will most certainly generate a serious
debate around its central concept - the struggle for 'peoples
power'.
  Our other material is concerned with attempts to assess
changes in South African political economy. Nzimande considers
the    situation and consciousness of black 'personnel
practictioners' who occupy an important, if ambiguous, site
within the new black petty bourgeoisie - a class which seems
certain to become more and more significant as social change
accelerates. McCarthy briefly reviews the considerable body of
policy literature that links big capital to the state as they
move towards the unfolding strategies of 'orderly urbanisation1
and greater 'reform'. Finally in a critical review of a recent
book on Anglo American, Moll raises a number of crucial issues
concerning socialism and monopoly capitalism.
  *As was expected by everybody, except of course the editors,
our promises to bring out the journal early this year were
hopelessly optimistic. Having learnt from the problems we
encountered we wish to reassure our subscribers that we are
still optimistic. However in order to atone to those who waited
so long we have produced a bumper first issue.


Tmnsftiaiubion 1
 UTflKltiUTCRS:
Peter Hudson lectures in Political Studies at the IMversity of
the Witwatersrand.
Bonginkosi Nzdnande lectures in industrial psychology at the
university of Zululand, Umlazi canpus. He is engagsd in MA
research on the subject of his article.
Neville Alexander is the director of the SA Conmittee for Higher
Education in Cape Town. His latest book, Sbw the Wind, appeared
in 1985.
Zwelakhe Slsulu is the editor of ilfew Hainan.. He was president
of the M=dia Workers Association of SA.
Rill Rnetrid is Professor of Economic History at the university
of Natal, Durban. His latest book is 2he Miking of Oonbatpmay
Jeff JfcCarthy lectures in Geography at the University of Natal,
Durban. He is co-author, with Dan Snit, of She South African
Terence Mall is a researcher at the SA Labour and Development
Research Unit at the university of Cape Town. He has studied
economics at UCT and Cambridge.
Cliff Bestall designed the cover.