Limits to Liberation in Southern Africa: The Unfinished Business of Democratic Consolidation

The essays in this volume focus primarily on the developing political contradiction in southern Africa, represented by the fact that movements like SWAPO and ZANU, which spearheaded mass popular struggles for liberation from colonial rule, have in power developed into authoritarian, undemocratic, and increasingly corrupt ruling regimes. In addition to the essays on Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Botswana, other works included consider the possible road ahead for South Africa in terms of democratic consolidation within the rising tension between civil society organizations and the ANC government, with its clear tendency toward the increasing centralization of its power and authority. Edited by former SWAPO member Henning Melber, its contributors include Kenneth Good, Suzanne Dansereau, and Amin Kamete (Zimbabwe); Ian Taylor and Francis B. Nyamnjoh (Botswana); Roger Southhall (Lesotho); Henning Melber (Namibia); Martin Legassick, Raymond Suther, and Krista Johnson (South Africa).