The first and second transitions and the national question in South Africa

Abstract

In this chapter, his theorisation of the national question in South Africa is used as the basis for an analysis of the impact of the ruling African National Congress's (ANC's) first transition, democratising state and society and meeting basic needs, towards the resolution of the national question. Data from the South African Social Attitudes Survey of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is used to illustrate how national unity has been undermined by the persistence of various 'nationalisms' as well as the unintended consequences of the transformative agenda during the first transition. This is followed by a review of the ANC's notion of a second transition, socio-economic transformation over the next 30 to 50 years in the context of the ongoing challenges faced in the resolution of the national question.