critical
perspectives
on
Southern
Africa


 TRANS                                          38 (1999)
  FORM
 ATION
Critical perspectives on Southern Africa
                             CONTENTS
Editorial
Adam Habib discusses thepurpose behind, and contents of, this     i
special issue to coincide with South Africa's second democratic
election.
Articles
Hegemonism, Dominance or Weak Opposition? The                     1
Partisan Situation on the Eve of South Africa's Second
Election Campaign
        Robert Mattes, Cherrel Africa and Helen Taylor analyse
        a series of post-1994 election public opinion surveys to
        assess the electorate's views on the ANC'sperformance
        in government.
Economic Adjustment, Political Institutionalism and Social        20
Marginalisation: COSATU and the First Democratic
Government (1994-99)
        Franco Barchiesi analyses COSATU's response to the
        challenges of thepost-apartheidera and their implications
       for the labour movement in the period ahead.
Magical Market Realism and the South African Transition           49
        John Saul examines the neo-liberal economic logic which
        has informed the ANC government's economic policies
        in the post-1994 period, its impact on the tripartite
        alliance and the possibilities for more radical economic
        trajectories in the period ahead.
TRANSFORMATION 38 (1999) ISSN 0258-7696


COSATU, the ANC and the Election: Whither the Alliance?       68  |
      Roger Southall and Geoff Wood explore COSATU"s             I
     political strategies in the context of surveys which        I
      highlight the membership's attitudes towards the ANC's     I
     performance in government.                                  !
Towards an Analysis of the South African Media in the         84
Transformation, 1994-99
      Guy Berger looks at the performance of the media in the
     post-1994 era in the context of four major theoretical
     perspectives on the role of the media in South Africa's
     new democratic dispensation.


 Editorial
This edition of Transformation comes soon after post-apartheid South
Africa's second general elections. Political analysts often see second
elections as distinct points in democratic trajectories, marking the shift
from transition to consolidation. It thus seems an appropriate time to
review the character of South Africa's democratic transition and assess its
potential for addressing the popular concerns that inspired the anti-apartheid
struggle. Sufficient time has of course not yet elapsed to enable definitive
judgements to be made on the sustainability of the country's democratic
experiment. Nevertheless, the conclusion of the ANC's first term in office
does provide an opportunity for analysts at least to identify the key
characteristics of the transition, and to assess their political implications
for the consolidation of democracy.
   All the contributors to this edition do this in various ways. Robert
Mattes, Helen Taylor and Cherrel Africa analyse a series of post-1994
public opinion surveys to illustrate the electorate's changing views on the
ANC's performance in government and how this impacts on their voting
intentions. Franco Barchiesi analyses COSATU's responses to the challenges
of the post-apartheid era, and its implications for the labour movement in
the new millennium. John Saul identifies the neo-liberal economic logic
that underlies government policies and programs in the post-1994 period,
explores the shifting relations within the tripartite alliance, and the
possibilities that are opening for more radical alternative economic
trajectories. Roger Southall and Geoff Wood critically explore the political
strategies currently available to COS ATU and empirically ground this in an
analysis of surveys that illustrate COSATU members' views on the ANC's
performance in government and its strategic alliance with the labour
federation. Finally, Guy Berger assesses the performance of the media in
the post-1994 era through a critical analysis of the four major theoretical
perspectives on the role of the media in South Africa's democracy.
   The five contributions to this edition do not in any way share a unanimity
on the trajectory and future of South Africa's transition. Indeed, their
TRANSFORMATION 38 (1999) ISSN 0258-7696