Abstract
This study assesses the steps taken by the administration of former President Jacob Zuma during the first term (2009 to 2014) to transform South Africa into becoming a developmental state. The thesis focuses in particular on the politics of building a developmental state, including the configuration of the state, the economic strategies and policies introduced, and the relationship between the government and the social partners such as organised business, trade unions, and civil society organisations. The objectives of the study are; examining the reconfiguration of government that the Zuma administration introduced between 2009 and 2014; assessing the appointment of individuals to essential ministries and departments; determine the relationship between the Zuma administration and critical actors in society, especially organized business, trade unions, and civil society; and reviewing the major economic policy interventions and strategies introduced by the Zuma administration during the first term.
This qualitative research methodology investigates Jacob Zuma's administration's attempts to establish a developmental state in South Africa from 2009 to 2014, utilizing a comprehensive secondary research approach. The study integrates multiple qualitative data sources, including government documents, academic literature, media reports, and previous research studies, to analyze the policies, strategies, and outcomes of Zuma's governance. A thematic analysis will be employed, starting with familiarization with the data, and developing key themes related to governance strategies, socio-economic policies, and stakeholder perceptions. The methodology emphasizes the integration of these diverse sources to ensure coherence in findings, allowing for a nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding Zuma's efforts and their reception by various stakeholders. Ethical considerations are acknowledged, including the importance of proper citation and reflexivity in interpreting the data. This research aims to contribute to ongoing debates about developmental states in Africa and inform future governance strategies.
While there have been studies on the administration of Jacob Zuma, there has not been much attention paid to the attempt it made in the first term to build a developmental state. Although the first term of the Zuma presidency was overshadowed by the 2008 global
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financial crisis, which had a profound impact on the performance of the South African economy, the study demonstrates that several important measures were taken towards transforming South Africa into a developmental state. These included significant reconfiguration of the state, as well as the introduction of important economic interventions that have come to be associated with established developmental states. These measures were later undermined by what has come to be popularly known as state capture, which dominated and overshadowed the second term of the Zuma administration. While this study focuses on the first term of the administration, the concluding chapter of the thesis does make a passing reference on the impact that state capture did have on undermining the trajectory towards a developmental state made during the first term.