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South Africa: after the elections, the continent? New economic and cultural forces are transforming the country in the post-Mandela era.

Article Excerpt
With the elections on April 14 marking a decade of liberal democracy in South Africa, Thabo Mbeki's African National Congress has passed some very impressive milestones. The party has swept to what seems a decisive victory for 'globalisation friendly' policies and cautious multi-racialism amidst a healthy dose of service delivery with promises of more. After analysing the components of this triumph, it remains to be seen 'what's left' (in both meanings of the word) for and of the ANC in South Africa, and the extent to which it, and the other parts of South Africa's new ruling group, can extend their conquest of Africa's southern tip towards the Cairo of Cecil Rhodes' dreams.

The ANC now has the premierships in all nine provinces. Thus, after ten years, it is clear that South Africans support the ANC strongly (most "experts' interpret the 'stay-aways' as relatively happy with the status quo). Old enemies are pretty well on their way out. Liberal opposition parties are not yet a threat. There are still a couple of questions to be raised, however. Are there any possibilities for a left opposition? And what does all of this mean for the rest of the continent? South Africa's GNP is at least a third of all of Africa's. It is clearly on the road to economic domination of the rest of the continent; accompanying this is a political role best described as 'sub-imperial.'

One doesn't have to read widely--or travel far--to confront the glaring poverty and inequality in the world's most unequal and racially skewed society. Around half of the population of nearly forty-five million lives under the poverty line with an income of less than US$2 a day. Eight million--nearly 42 per cent...

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