The Politics of Redress: South African Style Affirmative Action

Abstract

AFFIRMATIVE action in South Africa – sometimes referred to by euphemisms such as ‘corrective action’, ‘reverse discrimination’, or ‘positive action’ – can be understood as a remedial strategy which seeks to address the legal historical exclusion of a majority. Unlike most other countries in which minorities are targeted, in South Africa a previously disenfranchised majority is the beneficiary of such policies. Quite distinct from North American notions of affirmative action, a labour/union driven vision of transforming the living and working conditions of the majority competes with a narrower business advocacy of black advancement as managers in response to market demands. Little resistance is found among white-owned corporations to broaden their recruitment pool by including qualified blacks and women.