Challenges of adopting a culture-sensitive development framework in South Africa: a critical reflection

Abstract

During the negotiations towards a post-1994 new political dispensation in South Africa, the African National Congress expected culture to play a pivotal role in the development of a new country and society. However, since the inception of the new government, culture has been drifting further into the periphery of the country’s development framework. This paper examines the challenges of adopting culture-sensitive development framework in South Africa. The authors identify four areas wherein culture is adversely affected in South Africa. The areas include legislation, finance, national priority listing and the National Development Plan (NDP). They argue that continued disregard of culture in the country’s development perpetuates the Apartheid legacy of spatial infrastructure network it seeks to eradicate. The authors further advocate the review of relevant legislation, capacity building in cultural policy formulation and implementation, realignment of government structures for effective and efficient implementation of cultural policy, and strong political leadership to ensure that decisions taken by the ruling party are translated into government policy. Lastly, they advocate a National Culture Plan as a postscript to the NDP.