From public–private partnerships to private–public stick ’em ups! NGOism, neoliberalism, and social development in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This article argues that the good work non-governmental organizations (NGOs) perform tends to produce one of two responses: it either shields them from the kinds of scrutiny to which mainstream businesses are subjected or, failing this, earns them the label of unwitting or unwilling participants in neoliberal programs imposed by multilateral international organizations on poor countries. This article examines the response by South African NGOs to a call by the Department of Social Development to offer financial support for students studying social work. It presents an analysis of neoliberal influences on the business nature, managerial structure, and logistical operations of social development NGOs, and the way in which their relationship with donors impacts on the interests of the beneficiaries of their projects as well as those of countries in which they work. This article argues that, much more than appendages of neoliberalism, some NGOs in South Africa voluntarily privatized their services in the interest of the private rather than the public good.