APARTHEID CAPITALISM
TRUDI MAKHAYA: Grievance economies breed faulty forces
The economic demands of Afrikanerdom and its impact is the cautionary tale of how woundedness can be marshalled in the service of elite advancement
In October, I was invited to give a talk at the annual meeting of the African Economic History Network held in Stellenbosch. One of the talks I attended, by Felicitas Becker, was entitled Rural Innovation and Institutional Amnesia in Lindi, Tanzania. This research illustrated the importance of economic history, especially in the context of developing countries, where the same flawed ideas about externally driven development persist generation after generation. Becker examines some of the reasons for this in her study. Democratic SA is only 23 years old, so expectations and aspirations must be tempered by a dose of realism. However, it is never too early to ask if the country is on the right path, as my talk did. I am reminded of a conversation I had with a friend about postapartheid economic regulation. The competition authorities have developed a good track record for busting cartels.Yet this friend was concerned that the postapartheid government was destroying the food value chain...
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