On 30 June 2024, the 100-year nationalist rule in South Africa came to an abrupt end. Afrikaner nationalists gained control of the country in 1924 and ruled until they were replaced by African nationalists in 1994. The African nationalists' rule was rejected by the electorate, and they could only stay in power with the support of the Wasp (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) middle class of the DA. Nationalism is a grievance-driven ideology, driven by grievances against the British for destroying the Boer republics and taking ownership of South Africa's minerals.
The African nationalists of the ANC lost power due to their focus on advancing the welfare of the African middle class at the expense of the majority of the people of South Africa. This led to the African working class and some extent the African middle class, especially in the metros, starting to abandon the ANC as voters. This was evident in the 2016 local government elections when the ANC lost majorities in key metros of Gauteng and the Cape, especially Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha.
The coming merger between the black and white middle classes is good for South Africa, as it creates a new partnership in the government of national unity. However, economic miracles should not come out of this new black and white partnership. The middle classes of all races in South Africa are consumption-driven rather than production and investment-driven. They use their control of the State to tax the rest of society to fund the bloated public sector and its highly inflated salaries.
The high cost of public sector remuneration contributes to low levels of investment in the economy, leading to high unemployment and dependence on social welfare. The real new politics for South Africa will be the merger between capital and the poor, who have a vested interest in driving investment and economic growth instead of private consumption.
The African nationalists of the ANC lost power due to their focus on advancing the welfare of the African middle class at the expense of the majority of the people of South Africa. This led to the African working class and some extent the African middle class, especially in the metros, starting to abandon the ANC as voters. This was evident in the 2016 local government elections when the ANC lost majorities in key metros of Gauteng and the Cape, especially Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha.
The coming merger between the black and white middle classes is good for South Africa, as it creates a new partnership in the government of national unity. However, economic miracles should not come out of this new black and white partnership. The middle classes of all races in South Africa are consumption-driven rather than production and investment-driven. They use their control of the State to tax the rest of society to fund the bloated public sector and its highly inflated salaries.
The high cost of public sector remuneration contributes to low levels of investment in the economy, leading to high unemployment and dependence on social welfare. The real new politics for South Africa will be the merger between capital and the poor, who have a vested interest in driving investment and economic growth instead of private consumption.
