Abstract:
Economic transformation has always been the cornerstone of the
governing party since it assumed power in 1994. The notion of a developmental
state has since the early 1990s been used as a catch-all
phrase for the African National Congress (ANC) thinking on economic
and social policies. There is even a subcommittee within the ANC
called the Economic Transformation sub-committee, which is seen as
the custodian of the ruling party's vision for socio-economic change, as
well as offering broad guidelines for a range of policies that have to do
with the economy. Over the years since the ANC came into power in
1994, the idea of building a developmental state has continued to serve
as an organising principle to frame the nature of change desired by the
government. It is a notion that is conceptually ambiguous and lacking in
precision with respect to policy application.
