Anthony Lemon

The geography of change in South Africa.

Partial table of contents: GETTING THERE: CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES. Post-Apartheid South Africa and the Nation-State (A. Christopher). DOMESTIC POLICY QUESTIONS FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT. Redistribution and Social Justice After Apartheid (D. Smith). Land Relations and Social Dynamics: Reflections on Contemporary Land Issues in South Africa, with Particular Reference to the Eastern Cape (T. Buckle). SOUTH AFRICA IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. South Africa and SADC(C): A Critical Evaluation of Future Development Scenarios (E. Ramsamy). Index.

Lesotho and the New South Africa: The Question of Incorporation

In the founding of the nation, in conflicts with the Boers and the Cape administration, and in resistance to incorporation in an apartheid South Africa, Lesotho has a history of struggle which strengthens national identity. It suffers, however, from geopolitically conferred dependence, a very weak resource base, and the limited legitimacy of post-colonial governments since 1970. Discussion of relevant theoretical considerations suggests that these provide no obstacle to the maintenance of Basotho identity within a larger nation-state. In the context of Lesothos existing ties with South Africa and its peripheral position in the southern African space-economy, the paper asks who would gain and who would lose from incorporation. Four population categories are distinguished: migrant workers and their families; families without a breadwinner in South Africa; those in Lesotho without formal employment, and their families; and the civil service, political and military elites. A distinction is drawn between the effects of incorporation on individuals and on the territorial entity of the state. For most Basotho, the current advantages of sovereignty are probably outweighed by those of incorporation as a tenth province or in combination with South Africas Free State province. The probable reaction of Pretoria to proposed incorporation is briefly discussed.