Globalism, Socialism and Democracy in the South African Transition

Democracy and the market: the ideology of the new globalism. Now, for better or worse, this phrase also epitomises a great deal of the currently dominant political discourse in South Africa as that country prepares for its first non-racial election on April 27th-29th 1994. For better? Obviously, we must celebrate the resonance of a moment that will mark - if all goes well - the removal of the last vestiges of the most resolutely institutionalised racist system in the world and the entry into office of Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC). But - for worse? - there does seem to be something all too anti-climatic about what is now likely to emerge from the current "transition to democracy" in South Africa, even assuming a reasonably clear passage to consolidation of a majority-elected government.