Routledge Revivals
The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Southern Africa
First published in 1988, The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Southern Africa provides a guide to the often confusing politics of Southern Africa. The book identifies and explains political figures, organisations, systems and terminology from the region in a clear and practical way. It covers eleven countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Although first published in 1988, this book will be a valuable resource for journalists, students, diplomats, business people, and anyone else who is interested in the politics of this richly diverse continent.
The Dictionary of Contemporary Politics of Southern Africa
Gwyneth Williams and Brian Hackland
First published in 1988
by Routledge
This edition first published in 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
1988 Gwyneth Williams and Brian Hackland
The right of Gwyneth Williams and Brian Hackland to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Publishers Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.
Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact.
ISBN 13: 978-1-138-19517-2 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-315-63836-2 (ebk)
THE DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Gwyneth Williams Brian Hackland
First published in 1988 by
Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Set in Linotron Times and Helvetica
by Input Typesetting Ltd, London
and printed in Great Britain
by T J Press (Padstow) Ltd
Padstow, Cornwall
Gwyneth Williams
and Brian Hackland 1988
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Williams, Gwyneth
The dictionary of contemporary politics of Southern Africa(Dictionaries of contemporary politics).
1. Southern Africa. Politics
I. Title II. Hackland, Brian III. Series
320.968
ISBN 0415002451
Contents
The states of southern Africa could hardly be more disparate. Some are committed to Marxist-Leninist policies, others follow the road of African socialism, and still others are pursuing capitalist paths. South Africa, in the face of bitter opposition from the other states, has continued with its apartheid practices.
The demands of geography and economics, in contrast, pull the countries of the region closer together. The economic and military might of South Africa allows it to dominate and manipulate its neighbouring states. This has provided the impetus for the formation of SADCC, the Southern African Development Coordination Conference, by countries determined to reduce their dependence on their powerful neighbour. Politically too, most governments in the region have been united by their opposition to South Africas controversial system of government, but they still cannot break away from the thrall of its economic might. They continue to rely on South African food, manufactured goods and technology and many of their citizens work in South Africas mines. Such dependence works in both directions. South Africa imports hydro-electric power from Mozambique and Angola, and water from Lesotho; it needs southern African markets for its produce; and it relies on foreign migrant workers to operate its mines. This interdependence is increased by the colonial heritage of road and railway networks which funnel the bulk of trade through South African ports. Such complex inter-relationships make it impossible to understand the problems of any one country without an understanding of the region as a whole.
Despite the worldwide focus of media and academic attention on southern Africa, many people have difficulty disentangling its politics. This dictionary seeks to provide a guide through the confusion, identifying and explaining in a clear and practical way the political figures, organisations, systems and terminology of politics in the region. No book of its length could be exhaustive, and the choice of what should be left out has often been a difficult one. To those who find that it does not give as much detail as they need, we recommend the considerable literature on the region, a selection from which is listed at the end.
To give the book a wide relevance we have included interesting and controversial terms as well as the essential references. Brief biographies of central figures are provided, a short history is given of each country, and key geographic, demographic and economic data are listed. Important non-English terms, acronyms, abbreviations and basic details of party policies, structures and political systems are included.
The dictionary begins with a map of the region, illustrating the primary infrastructural and geographic features linking the countries. The main body of the book then takes the form of a cross-referenced alphabetical listing. It concludes with a short selection of books suggested for those interested in reading further. Entries in the alphabetical section are placed under the most commonly used name or acronym, and cross-referenced from less common versions.
Choice of terminology, in South Africa especially, often depends on political perspective. Apartheid laws may classify people according to one set of categories, while the subjects categorise themselves in completely different ways. To make this clear, and to avoid confusion, we have placed official apartheid terms in inverted commas and have begun them with capital letters. For instance, we have used Black, White, Coloured and Indian to denote the population groups identified by the South African state and labelled according to the language of apartheid. Thus Black, in official parlance, is used to mean the African population, excluding the groups known as Coloured, White and Indian; White is used to refer to those of pale skin colour and considered by the state to be of European origin; Coloured is applied to people of mixed descent; and Indian refers to people who are classified as of Asian or Indian descent under South Africas racial laws. To refer to the black or white population generally we have used lower case without inverted commas. By black we mean those people who identify themselves as part of the black community, and by white we mean those who regard themselves as part of the white community.
