History of Social Issues in South Africa - with Dr. Jantje Xaba

South Africa’s history is marked by deep-rooted inequalities
shaped by colonial policies and apartheid. The Native Land Act of
1913 dispossessed black South Africans, forcing them into
overcrowded reserves, while the mining industry exploited migrant
laborers, intertwining racial and class-based oppression.
Although apartheid officially ended in 1994, many structural
inequalities persist. Social tensions, such as those seen during
the Phoenix riots of 2012, underscore the enduring challenges of
poverty, unemployment, and racial disparity.


In this episode, we will talk about these historical and
contemporary issues – together with Dr. Xaba, a scholar with
ongoing research interests in industrial sociology. He
particularly focuses on work organization, restructuring,
globalization, empowerment legislation, the informal economy, and
crime. 


Related sources (last accessed November 2024):


The natives land act of 2013


https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/natives-land-act-1913
Racialisation, Relationality and Riots: Intersections and
Interpellations

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1057/fr.2011.63?casa_token=04Ga6tQGk_kAAAAA%3AJpLedzaIe2DAxPsAoc8OaaXumRDfsxKGpoyDM0jzAveT39atu28iNLVHlC8J6PICgutLRNuWVKHJ19k


 


Further relevant literature:

Plaatje (1916): Native Life in South Africa


Tabata (1950): Awakening of a People


Magubane (1979): The Political Economy of Race and Class in South
Africa


Alexander (1986): Against Racial Capitalism


Ngwane (2021): Amakomiti; People cannot live in the Air


uMbuso (2023): WeKnosi; Whose eyes are looking at history?


Desai (2023): Geographies of Racial Capitalism