Roots
The History How Britain Carved South Africa's Neo-liberal Age, 1806-1996
by Thembinkosi Lehloesa
In Africa, no European country has had an influence as Britain. In this book by researcher and author Thembinkosi Lehloesa, historians and other interested individuals will follow how Britain has greatly impacted and shaped the Neo-liberal Age of South Africa. Roots: The History How Britain Carved South Africa’s Neo-liberal Age, 1806-1996 presents the unfolding of Britain’s powerful authority over South Africa’s government and administration.
The first tangible break in the development was achieved by the South African parliament in 1934. But already, Britain had shaped and predetermined South Africa’s future. The country wanted no other than evolutionary change, and this theme informed all administrations. Deception was the name of the game as was the violation of resolutions of the United Nations. Thus by the 1990s, Britain was relative to other European countries in a far better position to influence the policies of an African National Congress (ANC) run government.
In the aftermath, the ANC’s conduct in government has now come to be widely discussed not merely for the controversies it provokes but also because of the emotions that are thereby evoked. This book provides answers to many questions and issues regarding Britain’s influence on South Africa. It presents several questions that are pertinent to the predictions of South Africa’s future with regard especially to political stability, economic trajectory, and the nature of ideological battles that will continue to characterise its dominant political institutions.