The Significance of The Political Boundary in The Apartheid State, with Particular Reference to Transkei

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to assess the function of homeland boundaries in the context of the political economy of South Africa. The legal frameworks of spatial organization and resource allocation and their underlying political and economic motivation are considered, with the boundary seen as a regulator of migrant labour for the industrial heartland. Taking Transkei as a case study, its role as a labour reserve, the foreign status of its citizens, and the vested interests of its ruling elite are related to the international boundary. The latter is also analysed in terms more traditional to the study of political geography, such as lack of demarcation, ethnic basis and border disputes, but it is concluded that politico-economic purpose is a more compelling line of research.