A Return to the 1996 Class Project?
If the first weeks of Gwede Manthashe`s appointment as the Minister of Mineral Resources was characterised by the continuation of the arrogance which has become synonymous with the Minerals Portfolio when he ignored a court order to consult with MACUA and other organised community networks, then the first months of the Minister`s tenure has been marked by the return to the 1996 “ Class Project” which not only deepened and extended the gross inequalities of South African Society, but which also led to the rise of an even more dubious Class Capture Project headed by Jacob Zuma. If the 1996 Class Project was a portend of the deep divisions that such narrow accumulation strategies embody, then South Africa should be seriously concerned by the blatant way the Minister has attempted to construct a false narrative which suggests that “bridges are being built to mend the trust deficit and ensure that extraction benefits everyone via transformation and growth”. Instead of building...