CLASS CAPITALISM IN A POST-LIBERATION STATE: DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA'S BLACK DIAMONDS.

• Author: Joseph, Juliet

1. Introduction

   Voltaire has pointed out that with privilege comes great power and authority (OEuvres by Voltaire 1831-1841, ed. by Adrien-Jean-Quentin Beuchot and Pierre-Auguste-Marie Miger). It is the contention of this study that those in the South African government with the power to make strategic decisions should seize the opportunity to overcome the most pressing challenges facing this society, such as extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease. Considering this, South Africa is an intersectional society in which the majority of black people are marginalized and excluded (Tshishonga, 2019); women are generally poorer than their male counterparts (Chagunda, 2004:2). Accordingly, in an interview for the radio station Power FM (2017) titled, "The inaugural chairman conversation", Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president, stresses that the future of South Africa depends on a drive to serve the citizens of the state, not government officials who are interested in enriching themselves at the expense of the people of South Africa. There has been a focus on intersectional dimensions of the concept of class capitalism in the paper, and an analysis of the success and failures of the process of creating an equitable South African region along the lines of race, class and gender.

   By upholding its Constitution, South Africa has taken great strides towards racial equality and inclusion for all, specifically for marginalized racial groups (Mogale 2003). Despite this, the disparity between the rich and the poor has widened (Devey and Moller 2002, Govender et al. 2007, Shayegh and Zheng 2022).

   The history of privilege and elitism is as old as human existence, and it will continue for as long as humans exist. Firstly, the study will examine the political climate of privilege as a threat to human security. The second part of the paper examines the impact of neo-liberal policy reform aimed at ensuring transformation and development, such as Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE). In this study the link between power and privilege can be seen to remains tangled within hierarchical structures dominated by issues of race, class, and gender.

   In order to create a world in which everyone has equal opportunities, the concept of global equality was established. In such a world, all people are able to access resources, benefits, and services equally and control them accordingly (Cole 2022, White 2007, Loriaux 2008). People are able to achieve equality in their lives through equitable processes. Discourses on equality are a frequent part of discussions in the political spheres, but this term has become obsolete over time. As a rule, there is a fair amount of agreement in societies that all people are born free and equal (Rodrigues and Cabete 2022). In order to ensure the meaningful and sustainable development of society, it has become increasingly necessary to see that equality is a primary goal in every facet of the process across all areas of social development (Akanle et al. 2022).

   It is true that this idea of equality is prevalent throughout liberal democracies, but we know that the lived reality of many is far from this idealized idea (Nattrass and Seekings 2001, Reddy 2015, Basson 2022). There is still a great deal of work to be done to increase equity, inclusion, and diversity in South Africa. It is without a doubt that the evolution of equality is one of the primary objectives of this process.

   An important lens through which to explore equality is through the current focus on South Africa's Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and Employment Equity (EE) as an indicator of greater equality.

   In the long run, South Africa's approach to economic equality has a direct impact on how the region develops socio-economically within the continent. Although almost thirty years have passed since South Africa gained its independence, the vast majority of the country remains economically imprisoned while the economic emancipation of the emerging middle class is gaining momentum.

   The stark reality that capitalism in South Africa is failing to acquire a 'human face' is clearly evident from the escalating levels of poverty, unemployment, gender discrepancies, and crime on the rise.

   There is no doubt that in South Africa, the rich have gone from strength to strength, and they continue to be rich despite the inclusion of the new African black middle-income network, who still fight to own their own capital. This is in agreement with the findings of the World Bank, which point out that the African poor are getting poorer and poorer. This can be attributed to the fact that there is a large inequity among the poor based on income, ownership, access to resources, and not having the capital to gain more resources. It is hypothesized that there is a direct correlation between these two factors as well as a varying degree of inequality within different racial and ethnic groups in the study.

   The purpose of this study is to examine the political climate associated with class capitalism as a threat to human security as a whole. Through an examination of South Africa's Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policies, the author looks at what kind of impact neo-liberal policy reform has on ensuring transformation and development through a neo-liberal perspective. Through its conceptual framework, intersectional theory explores how a hierarchy is dominated by intersectional challenges that have a connection to race, class, and gender and remain connected to power and privilege. It appears that the South African state and its people are still dominated by the systems, processes, and legacies of the past that are left over from the post-liberation era of the country.

   The study further contends that the distribution of resources within the region is unequal as a result of affluence and elitist politics, which contributes to a threat to human security within the region, such as mass poverty, which poses a serious threat to the lives of the majority of South Africans. As a result of capitalism and nationalistic discourses in South Africa, there are clearly some winners and some losers. It is confirmed by the representations and categories that exist across races, classes, and genders that are evident in the emergence of class capitalism in South Africa. Based on the findings of an intersectional study presented in this paper, it has been concluded that black African females remain highly stereotyped within hegemony, hierarchy, class, and social representations to this day. It is important to note that empowerment in South Africa does not necessarily mean empowerment for all.

2. Materials and methods

   This study was qualitative in nature. There is limited evidence and nuances known on intersectional theory and class capitalism in South Africa. Moreover, with South Africa's evolving capitalist trajectory there is relatively little evidence of class capitalism in a Covid-19 pandemic trajectory. The contribution of this study is related to the knowledge of class capitalism and policymaking but also the relevance of intersectional analysis in a post-liberation and democratic transition environment that requires more attention.

   The study examined South Africa's black middle class, through an examination of BBBEE legislation and policies, its impacts on ensuring greater equality and economic freedom for the mass population who form part of the previously disadvantaged group of people.

   In order to address the questions and hypotheses in the study, data collection and documentation were employed. As a part of the exploratory literature review, the study explored definitions, theories, policies, viewpoints, principles, methods, as well as research findings from a range of literature.

   The study focused on the politics of BBBEE and EE in South Africa, the principles of the inclusion of previously disadvantaged groups and marginalised groups for good governance.

   Secondly, primary and secondary sources were used to conduct secondary research. This was done using library sources, internet sources and documents, frameworks, contracts, visions, missions, minutes, decisions, reports, websites, press releases, papers, strategies, national and regional frameworks and operational plans and documents related to BBBEE, with reports such as BBBEE reports and audit reports. The institutional dynamics responsible for the challenges in implementing BBBEE was concluded.

   Considering this case study on class capitalism in South African, it would be prudent to review the current political and economic legislation for greater inclusivity in the labour market more specifically, in order to diversify the access of various population groups into an evolving economy. Accordingly, plans must be provided to address the challenges of the intersectional marginalisation of society within the economy and society as a whole, as a result of the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

3. Results

   3.1. The South African context

   It is true that the lives of a minority group of privileged black people have changed for the better in the post-apartheid era (Freund 2007, Patel and Graham 2012). It is evident that the policies have not been successful with the mounting challenges to human security, such as unemployment, gender inequality, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor, showing that the policy implementation has not been successful. There are several reasons for this, including issues related to race, class, and gender. It is still the status quo, as the true challenges to insecurity, gender inequality, and privileged hegemonies remain largely unexplored and unaddressed.

   In order to establish an effective change process that acknowledges the centrality of such changes as part of broader social change, it is necessary to take into account all aspects related to equity as part of the overall change process within the state. To achieve...