What factors facilitate inclusive political settlements and developmental coalitions within a hybrid political order? This study, building on earlier work undertaken for the Crisis States Research Centre, further developed for the Leadership, Elites and Coalitions Research Programme (LECRP) and also published by the Crisis States Research Centre, suggests that in South Africa, state-making and peace-building has been facilitated by: (1) the creation of an administrative machinery that can contain customary authority institutions within a broader polity; (2) political structures that channel the ambitions and grievances of traditional leaders; and (3) a system of local government that draws on the experience and access of chieftaincies to bring development to hard-to-reach areas. A key success factor is inclusive coalitions and the commitment to development of influential political leaders able to forge broad coalitions through their links to multiple institutions.
In many parts of the world, and especially post-colonial states, customary forms of governance remain prominent, being deeply rooted in local institutions. Indigenous institutions are not immutable, but they are resilient nevertheless and it is recognised that institutional multiplicity and competing claims to social and political legitimacy need to be taken seriously within hybrid political orders.
Incorporation of indigenous institutions is a contested and ongoing process in South Africa, and has had mixed results. Yet pockets of success have emerged, especially in the city of Durban, where inclusive elite coalitions have promoted developmental outcomes. Ingredients for success include the following:
- There were influential political leaders with links to both local chieftaincies and the African National Congress (ANC) who were committed to development and forged inclusive coalitions.
- These leaders were able to forge broad coalitions that included traditional leaders, elected councillors, businessmen, social activists and the church and in some instances were able to break down political boundaries and antagonisms in the interest of inclusive developmental strategies.
- The government understood that indigenous institutions can adapt but are also resistant to change. This led to caution in riding roughshod over customary structures and the interests of traditional leaders.
- All parties, especially ordinary citizens, feared a return to the violence that accompanied the transition from apartheid in the province’s history, which opened the space for local dialogue and cooperation.
- A significant precondition for successful coalition-building was the presence of a strong metropolitan government that was politically unified within a political coalition.
Development is predicated on inclusive political settlements that encompass a variety of elite interests that in turn are in tune with the needs and aspirations of significant popular constituencies. In South Africa’s transitional political context and under conditions of considerable fragility, coalitions of traditional and other leaders became a key factor in determining how indigenous institutions evolved and were articulated within a plural institutional landscape. Implications include the following:
- Critical moments (such as elections or political violence) can provide the triggers for political settlements and more inclusive development coalitions.
- Inclusive development coalitions need brokers such as key officials, imaginative consultants, well connected developers, embedded NGO employees, advocates, activists, educators and politicians.
- The more inclusive the coalition, the greater the range of brokers is likely to be.
- Brokers need to be able to operate in and across different levels of government, spheres of governance and across the state-society divide.
- Political settlements invariably involve compromise, trade-offs both in relation to issues of principle (such as upholding or not the basic tenets of liberal democracy) as well as operational issues (such as having to diverge from tried and tested development principles).
