South Africa and the Rest of the Continent: Towards a Critique of the Political Economy of NEPAD

Abstract

Post-apartheid South Africa has been increasingly integrated with the rest of the continent at various levels. The South African state has been at the forefront of processes that led to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). This article fully endorses the argument that NEPAD is neo-liberal due to its resemblance to structural adjustment programmes and its adherence to policies associated with the so-called Washington consensus. The article examines the evolution and eventual adoption of NEPAD from the point of view of the social forces behind it. The central question at the heart of any developmental programme such as NEPAD is: which class rules, benefits from and shapes policies in their own image? The article argues that NEPAD is a programme by major South African corporations to restructure social relations on the continent to facilitate their penetration and capital accumulation.

Keywords

capital accumulation class neoliberalism NEPAD post-apartheid South Africa

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