Abstract

The underdevelopment of an indigenous African bourgeoisie undoubtedly constitutes one of the primary defining characteristics of South African political economy. Indeed, it ironic that in South Africa, where capitalism has developed the forces of production to a level higher than anywhere else on the continent, the African petty-bourgeoisie has remained relatively more backward than in the large majority of African territories which, in contrast, though subjected in the past to colonial rapacity in the form of expropriation of locally generated surpluses and the export of raw materials to western metropoles, nonetheless experienced the emergence of a significant petty bourgeoisie within the confines of colonial economy, this class in most cases heading their nationalist drive to independence. But in South Africa, even more than was the case of other territories dominated by settler colonialism, the formation of an African middle class has been blocked by racial barriers deliberately erected to protect the interests of the locally ruling white bourgeoisie. Historically, therefore, all possibility of the African middle class developing into a fully fledged bourgeoisie has been prevented by state imposed limitations specifically designed to inhibit, if not to totally suppress, its ability to accumulate capital. As a result, concludes Good, No significant African bourgeoisie stands in a position of potential domination over the working classes; 1 and the African middle class, such as it is, primarily made up of non-property owning, non-productive and non-employing elements, the main exception being small scale businessmen, who are in any case largely located within the service sector as traders, transport owners and independent artisans, and whose potential for expansion hedged around by a maze of restrictive laws. The national bourgeoisie, declares Martin Legassick, is a tiny force.2 Thus in its survey of African employment, the 1970 census

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call