Issue #0

Democracy Compromised: Chiefs and the Politics of the Land in South Africa

Plot

Annotation Democracy Compromised is about traditional authorities (chiefs of various ranks) in a democracy. The book addresses mainly two integrally related questions. First, how despite their role in the apartheid state, traditional authorities have not only survived, but have won unprecedented powers in rural governance in South Africa's democracy, and, secondly, how they derive their authority. It argues that chieftaincy has always been contested and that it has throughout its history since the advent of colonialism been dependent on the support of the state. Their role in the land allocation process is central to our understanding, not only of the survival of traditional authorities, but on how they derived their authority. The book will be of particular interest to academics, researchers, students, activists and policy makers.