Amilcar Cabral's Two STAGE Social Transformation in South African Context

This paper utilizes Amílcar Cabral's two-stage transformation theory to analyze South Africa's post-apartheid evolution. Cabral's framework, which distinguishes between political independence, as the first stage and national liberation as the second, serves as a critical tool for assessing the country's progress. While South Africa achieved political independence in 1994 with the end of apartheid and the establishment of democratic governance, the second stage national liberation remains largely incomplete. The second stage involves the aggravation of contradictions that were muted during the liberation struggle. The paper explores how the persistence of inequality, neoliberal economic policies, and structural racial, and sexual disparities reflect the unfulfilled second phase of transformation. By applying Cabral’s model, this study emphasizes the need for deeper economic and social reforms to realize the full potential of South Africa’s liberation.