Federal arrangements as a peacemaking device during South Africa's transition to democracy

Abstract

This article examines how federal arrangements were used during South Africa's transition to democracy to deal with the conflict posed by two important ethnic-based groupings: right-wing Afrikaners and Zulu nationalists. It will be argued that while limited federal arrangements were successful in containing the conflict, this aspect of South Africa's federal enterprise quickly faltered when the underlying conflicts and federal impetus dissipated. This case study, then, provides an interesting illustration of the dynamic quality of federalism; it can be a flexible political process that responds to the exigencies of the moment.