By Zukiswa Mqolombo
I read a thought provoking piece by fellow Scholar, Suntosh Pillay. His was a response to Andile Mngxitama’s little red book Blacks can’t be Racist. His proposition contested Andile’s one, and sought to affirm that black people in postmodern South Africa can be, and often are indeed, racist.
This prompted my short note today. My value proposition is this: Racism will forever be a permanent feature in South Africa’s body politic, unless the racial divisions of class are resolved.
The unfortunate reality is that racism will forever remain a permanent feature in SA body politic unless the racial divide of class subjugation is not attended to and decisively so. This is indeed a sad reality, but an accurate account nonetheless. Mine is a materialist approach to questions of race relations in South Africa.
I stand to be corrected, but my analysis is that post-democratic South Africa faces a class question, more than a race question for its own sake. It’s the manifestation of class subjugation in visible racial forms that can account for racism in South Africa. This is largely attributable to the heritage of apartheid and the decades of colonial rule. The main cause of racial concern is based largely on gross inequalities between black and white, and even among black people as a distinct racial group on their own.
My assessment of racial subjugation pre-1994 South Africa leads me to conclude that racial subjugation served largely economic purposes.
Racism came about as a direct consequence of profit motivation by a new breed of capitalist class on South African shores. It was the gross obsession of an accumulation regime that sought to accumulate wealth at all costs that produced and has since reproduced persistent racism in South Africa. It was this capitalist class (which happened to be white as a consequent of accidents of history), which so enslaved and devalued the labour of the majority “other”. The black majority merely fell victim to wrong motives and inhumane economic tactic.
The only way in which the capitalist class (as a minority) could sustain the super exploitation of the mineral wealth of “the majority other” was by the structural imposition of a racist ideological superstructure, which justified class subjugation by racial lines.
By tempering with the psycho-social realm of mainstream society, the “self” could justify and prolong the enslavement and super-exploitation of the “majority other”.
The creation of the super-class (of whites only) and class underdogs (of blacks only), subjugation by racial lines is what has produced and continues to reproduce racist South Africa.
So, if we don’t address the racial divisions of class subjugation, racism will forever be an albatross and a permanent feature of South Africa’s body politics.
If we don’t address the class questions, as a consequent of historic disadvantage, racism will remain a permanent feature in South African society.
It’s in context of the history of apartheid and colonial rule that I make the proposition that “the national question is indeed a class question”. It’s the racial manifestation of class subjugation, in ugly yet visible and concrete terms, that has reproduced and continues to reproduce the albatross racism.
I now live in England and return to South Africa once a year. What this allows me is a superficial yet snapshot view of SA society, which has its advantages. What I see is an ever more classist society as non-whites have the opportunity to own more property, want to protect it and socialise with like minded and propertied people.
In the context of the development of a country by historical standards this would be seen as progress. A classist society is flawed but less so than a racist one and at least it has logical grounds. So let us embrace classism and use it to the country’s benefit.
**** A note to the author ****
You write well but don’t feel you have to justify you position as a student – “fellow scholar”, “manifestation” and “super exploitation” are pretentious (as is leaving notes to an author I admit) and detract from your thoughtful and well written piece.
So, the university sociology departments in SA are still preaching Marxism as the default ideology just as they have been doing for about 100 years? Everywhere else it’s descended into the status of being an academic historical relic. No wonder SA arts degrees really aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on these days.
Why try confuse the definitions so much?…when considering the recent explosion of the black middle upper class, there is coming a time when issues of race will become irrelevant in socio-economic/socio-political debates…it is now a sole matter of class debate, and it is now that cohesian is going to become increasingly strained in the awkward melting pot called the tripartite alliance…issues of “race” are merely obfuscation.
Read the book “Animal Farm” and you will see that what is happening in South Africa, is what happens everywhere else. The new ‘regime’ becomes more racist and domineering than the one it replaced. All the good hopes for the future decay as the dominant party asserts is power on everyone and as we all know power corrupts. Look no further than all the corruption and crime we have in South Africa – it lies at the door of the ANC. The ANC cares nothing for the country as it has become a self serving power that is set to get worse, unless they wake up which is most unlikely.
I can’t quite fathom what you intend to do about the problem you’ve cooked up.
Not saying you are wrong, but I still doubt that subjugation was the plot.
When less than 10% of the population pays all the tax, there simply isn’t enough money to buy, for instance, a brilliant education for all.
I tell friends now that the nearly R20 000 I paid annually for my son’s last few years of schooling was bound to give him a better chance than the R200 per year they are paying per child. This is easily understood by all.
There are no schools near us that sell education at R200 per year. That limited my options. Their options are also limited, by income and their kids are schooled on the farm or in townships, but cheaply.
I agree that race classification is unethical, but all it’s really doing is ensuring that time isn’t wasted interviewing people whose job applications can be binned on a racial whim before the interviews are set up, I think.
Our society is more racist now than it was 20 years ago.
Sure, we shouldn’t need racial classification, but I would have hoped that a Rhodes scholar could suggest a solution. After all, you have access to a brilliant education and yours is the generation on which we are pinning our hopes, since no one seems to be coming forward in this one.
Go for the follow up. And quickly!
Once again an excellent analysis. SA’s class problem has an especially poisonous twist in that our new elite, who are far wealthier than the vast majority of whites, are able to pretend to speak for the poor and voiceless, whilst pursuing policies of corruption and parasitism that ironically hurt the poor, who depend on the state, the most. Much like the maturing of the political situation in Zim, SA is likely to see the emergence from the liberation movement of at least 3 different ‘parties’ – the genuine hard-left communists, the compradore capitalists wearing a veneer of fascism/ racial or racist nationalism (probably the most toxic group of all), and the few remaining social democrats in the centre. The last group represent the best hope of curing the class divisions and giving real hope and opportunities to the poor, but tragically have no political voice to speak of. SA, unlike Zim, also suffers from a very uneducated voting public who are easily deceived. One hopes that the wisdom of the common people will prevail.
I regret that find this to be a most confusing and poorly edited piece of work.
Increasingly it seems, we confuse old fashioned misanthropy with some narrow idea of targeted dislike. Human Beings have a propensity to misanthropy, those who are in denial argue that their affliction is only aimed at a selected “them”… and if we are [so-called] white them we are racists and if not then we are ok.
With regard to the late Eugene Terre’ Blanche his misanthropy is carefully ignored and redefined as racism, as if he would have been a ‘nice’ person for we anglo whiteys to dine with… which he wasn’t.
In the case of Andile Mngxitama’s little red book his misanthropical position cannot be racist because [so-called] blacks are not able to be racists [sic]… So it would be more appropriate to call him Xenophobic with a bias against those who differ physically by colour.
Perhaps you need to iron out these definitional idiosyncrasies, before dealing with the meat of your presentation which seems to be the bizarre idea that” all [so-called] whites are rich [so we ignore the 1 in seven who are living in various versions of the Bethlehem squatter camp] or “all [so-called] blacks are poor” a statement that belies the fact that [for instance] i am one of the few remaining [so-called] white people still living in my [formerly] white middle class suburb and i drive the oldest car.
I get it Zukiswa, blacks hate whites indiAns pakistanis and chinese whites hate blacks indians pakistanis and chinese and it goes on. I get it.
But what is the difference between superexploitation and exploitation is it like being a little pregnant and pregnant.
On another matter remember Franz Ferdinands assassination caused world war 1 (or is it world war 4 I forget which)in the racial couldron which is south africa will the murder of ET for failing to pay his workers (remember this was a month end -pay day time and long weekend- party time) cause a similar ripple in south africa.
I only hope it was not foreigners who did the killing. RIP ET
A few missing pieces – we now have a black super class as well; we also have very diminished white groups and a horrible GINI co-efficent. What upsets me is that the newly wealthy black upperclass is not putting pressure on government to uplift the poor. Please explain
I invite you go and stand on a street corner in a major commercial centre for half an hour and have a close look at who the drivers of the passing cars are, and also at what cars they are.
This will surely change your position that white people hold the economic power in South Africa. While there are still a handful of super wealthy white South Africans, the middle class has been largely transformed at an economic level.
Notably,whilst not all the rich faces are white, poverty, unemployment, low land/property ownership and poor access to education does have predominately black faces.
Three recently released reports on the distribution of wealth and employment practices have brought this quandary into sharp focus.
The Employment Equity report 2008/9 for example shows that white men represent 61% of top management level, enjoy 48% of all recruitment and made up 44.7% of all employees promoted to this level. At the top management level, black men represented 9.8%, enjoyed 12.6% of all recruitment and made up 12.7% of all employees promoted to this level.
The latest annual Careers24 Salary Survey also indicates that there are still glaring demographic inequalities present in SA’s labour market when it comes to remuneration trends. There are instances where there are potentially explosive racial undertones. The survey found that while white professionals are the highest earners from the age of 31 years, with an average salary of R19 998 per month — compared to R17 296 for black Africans, R13 489 for Indians and R13 489 for Coloureds. However, black managers over 50 years of age can have the most earning potential.
Researchers at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) also confirm that race continues to be a significant determinant in SA of the probability of getting a degree and a job.
According to a report published by the OECD, levels of poverty and inequality continue to bear persistent racial undertones.
…. (continued from previous paragraph. See note above.)
According to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), levels of poverty and inequality continue to bear a persistent racial undertone.
The gap between the rich and poor in South Africa has widened, not only between race groups but also within race groups, suggesting that the government needs other policies besides black empowerment to redistribute wealth.
The report states that “between-race inequality remains high and is falling only slowly. However, it is the increase in intra-race inequality which is preventing the aggregate measures from declining.
The report also comes to the conclusion that rising inequality within the labour market — higher unemployment and greater wage inequality — lies behind the increased levels of aggregate inequality.
Official figures also confirm persistent racialised patterns of property relations. According to recent land audits, 18% of land is in indigenous hands. This includes land in the former homelands. 13% of the country’s surface area was owned by blacks in 1994. A simple 4,9-4,69% has since been added to the 1994 figure. So patterns of property relations remain untransformed.
Lumkile Mondi, the chief economist at the Industrial Development Corporation, affirms the trend of increasing inequality on all fronts – between race groups and within race groups. He too affirms that “…it’s a class problem”.
My analysis is informed by the above. For me the national question is indeed a class question, manifesting itself in ugly racial forms.
@ 7ukiswa- This is a strong argument to make, and I think you have the starts a good academic argument that matters. You are spot on, in my opinion, on why racism persists because of class. Take the advice of other commentators to this blog and fill in the pieces. I do work in this area, and would be happy to trade some notes.
The question is how do we reduce the gap between haves and have nots to a level that will make our society sustainable. Our problem is that the class gap is so vast. The failed ‘isms’ of socialism and capitalism do not provide a helpful answer. Capitalism generated wealth but doesn’t distribute it fairly. Socialism distributes wealth more fairly but obstructs the generation of wealth. It seems the answer lies down the road of some sort of pragmatic partnerships but to find a ploitical leadership that can gain the support of a majority to follow this route is unlikely. And yet if we cannot find this viable road, we will be ruled by populist power hungry leaders who will build their support by making promises to the poor that they are unable to keep. Malema is simply the next such populist leader waiting in the wings.
Caption under a photograph in M@G of the Wonderfontein mineworkers :”Never in the 30 years working here have we been treated so badly” Mandelas grandson is a director of the mining company, withholding wages for 2 months now. A “wage dispute incident” here would certainly invigorate the debate.
@Zukiswa Mqolomba
I cannot disagree with you.It is true that SA was built on the backs of Black People who were sidelined and in most cases became invisible in SA society.The fact that most of them went through life as “sub -human” and not worthy of any class,your analysis brings to the fore many questions.The most important one is -What type of intervention must the present government put in place and how can society be transformed?
The sad thing is we are leaving such important national questions to infantile leaders like Malema.I am sure that there is enough depth in the ANC to breathe life into this National debate-without Malema.
Zuki,
I simply cannot believe you are a Mandela Rhodes scholar or even a post graduate student. But you probably are and this shows how far our education system has plummeted. Either it’s a class division in SA, or a race division (which it was during apartheid times). It cannot be both. There can be a racial imbalance between the classes but it could be Indian, coloured or Chinese as well, not just white. I’m actually sure it is; I think Indians have done best of all in the new SA – more lazy, biased opinion passed off as fact.
SA’s biggest problem is all because its ills are camouflaged and obfuscated (what a word) by race. Started by JG Strijdom and Albert Hertzog and carried on by Thabo Mbeki, Jimmy Manyi and Julius Malema (Zuki also trying to help). Please, turn your back on race and concentrate on class. It should be shown that the ANC has pretty much condemned SA to the high GINI coefficient rubbish heap with its pervasive corruption, incompetent cadre deployment and mad policies.
Good day.
Zukiswa doesn’t write very well, but her points are on point.
I have no doubt that your historical analysis of capitalism, in tandem with imperialism, colonialism and white supremicist ideology, as a primary cause of racism in South Africa is correct. The situation now, however, is that a powerful majority, led by self-serving African Nationalists, are using ‘divide and rule’ tactics, and any means possible (mainly blaming ‘the boers’) to divert attention from their continuous grab of more power and wealth at the expense of the poor and downtrodden.
@ everyone- in my opinion,this is a good piece of recording some initial thoughts. Supported now with an additional evidence by Zuliswa. No doubt the argument will be strengthened in future.
@ sidwell i- Oh and by the way, race and class function do exist together. But as they say, wait there is more: gender, religion etc. The link between race and class is a very old intellectual tradition, that has a huge literature and is well substantiated. I do not personally agree with it all, but it is a valid field of intellectual enquiry.
Thanx Ebrahim. I think sticking to word counts has proven the greater challenge more than anything, particularly when it comes to allowing space to substantiate ones claims through evidence.
All comments (both constructive and not-so-constrctive) truly appreciated.
Warm regards,
Ebrahim,
And there are people who believe that intelligence is related to skin colour; also an old intellectual tradition with huge literature and well substantiated?
@ sidwell – classical way for you to duck the question at hand? But it is true that a long tradition does not mean the argument is correct. Point taken. But, trying to explain the division of wealth without looking at class and race in South Africa leads to weak analysis and even weaker public policy. One of the challenges we face is how to translate an analysis of class into practical public policy. That is a huge challenge for all of us, and something I am constantly thinking about.
@ zuki- keep writing. This exchange reminds me of my first articles as a student. Totally amazing how we do not support young intellectuals in this country. My advice do that first accredited publication as soon as possible.
An interesting debate for a change, relevant as ever @ judith, good question but I suspect the answer is quite simply, speaking as a member of the black middle class, we don’t give a ghetto rat’s ass about the poor who are predominantly black. The super rich don’t give a fuck. This friends is non-racialism at its finest. Greed is good no matter your colour. That’s our national culture, not soccer. The disparities colourwise for the middle class and super rich are much less about colour than a first glance at the stats tells us. Sure, whites continue to dominate the big earner category by percentage, salary differences are still wrong yet pretty close anyway. I believe that’s far more about a non-functional state education for the poor and an ok system for those who can pay, replication of poverty etc. No, our problem is cultural: GREED IS GOOD and our government does not tolerate it, it promotes this to our entire society like some ultrasuccessful mass publicity campaign. I’m not holding my breath waiting for the rich to grow a conscience. Poor people everywhere in SA do seem to be growing a bit more motivated though.