The labour movement and intellectuals in post-apartheid South Africa: A troubled relationship

The Labour Movement and Intellectuals in Post Apartheid South Africa: A troubled relationship

ABSTRACT 

Intellectuals played a pivotal role in the revival of militant trade unionism in South Africa from the early 1970s onwards. These intellectuals were located within the bourgeoning movement as well as outside it in universities and a wide range of labour supporting organisations. However, since the advent of democracy the labour movement and intellectuals seem to have ‘walked away’ from each other with the result that the partnership witnessed during the heyday of the anti-apartheid struggle came to an end. Today the two sides maintain a dismissive attitude towards each other and thus none of the vibrant union revitalisation debates one observes among labour activists and intellectuals in some Northern countries are taking place in South Africa. This paper explores the reasons for this troubled relationship and identifies several historical developments that need to be taken into consideration. Among these are what I have referred to as the “contradictory location” of some of these intellectuals in the labour movement (Buhlungu 2006), the relationship of the unions to party politics, the relative legislative protection that South African unions continue to enjoy, the allure of the neo-liberal logic for some intellectuals, and the effects of academic managerialism on intellectual work. The article concludes by presenting a theoretical proposition on the relationship between intellectuals and the labour movement, namely, the most fruitful and vibrant relationships between labour movements and intellectuals occur when the movement is on the defensive and in desperate need of fresh ideas from outside of itself. Similarly, intellectuals find working with labour movements most attractive when no one else takes their ideas seriously.