Democracy Compromised: Chiefs And The Politics Of The Land In South Africa

Paperback English. HSRC Press. 2006. ISBN: 9780796921307. 326pp.

Good condition in softcover.

Democracy Compromised is about traditional authorities (chiefs of various ranks) in a democracy. The book addresses mainly two integrally related questions. First, how despite their role in the apartheid state, traditional authorities have not only survived, but have won unprecedented powers in rural governance in South Africa's democracy, and, secondly, how they derive their authority. It argues that chieftaincy has always been contested and that it has throughout its history since the advent of colonialism been dependent on the support of the state. Book No: 465688