Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
The international and national historical realities triggered the fragmented
white South African business community to unite. These realities also
influenced the National Party (NP) government to consider the views of
business people with regards to the impact of apartheid politics on the South
African economy. South African business people, and especially the Afrikaner
business people, exploited the access that they had with Afrikaner political
decision makers by influencing them through business organisations such as,
the Urban Foundation. The united South African business people took on a
leadership position as a result of their increased influence on the political
decision-makers.
As the leadership group with an inclination towards a non racial democracy,
the business community soon found themselves at loggerheads with the NP
government. The enlightened Afrikaner business persons refrained from
criticising government openly, and supported government’s reform strategies
in order to keep debate on reforms alive. The Afrikaner business community
shed their ‘passive resistance’ and legitimisation role after the Rubicon
speech in August 1985. From thereon, they openly played a role of bridge
building by reaching out to anti-apartheid movements and to identify common
areas of interest within the society. Towards 1987 enlightened Afrikaner
business people were active in the broader South African business
community and they were able to mobilize the Consultative Business
Movement (CBM) to participate in the dismantling of apartheid. The vision of
business was to establish a free market system through broad base
consultation. The business community actively supported the democratisation
of South African businesses, the redistribution of wealth, the active
participation of blacks in a free market economy, as well as the advancement
of growth in black communities. The Enlightened Afrikaner business people
adopted a social involvement strategy that piloted Black Economic
Empowerment transactions, such as Sanlam’s initiative to broaden black
equity share ownership. Broad based consultation also cultivated a practical
approach to the economy and established a framework for debate that
incorporated socialist and capitalist ideas. This compromise strategy was
aimed to counter non-viable socialist options regarding redistribution of wealth
and the opening up of the economy to previously disadvantaged groups.
After 1990, when the NP government accepted that the political landscape
must change, the business community embraced a change role, a bridge
building role, a facilitator role and a catalyst role to usher in a New South
Africa with a bigger middle class and acceptable free market principles as
government policy. Accordingly, the enlightened Afrikaner business people
actively participated in the negotiation for a political future of South Africa.
However, they always remained politically neutral during the actual political
negotiation process.