Apartheid's Leviathan: Electricity and the Power of Technological Ambivalence

A book explores how technology and politics have shaped South African history since the 1960s, highlighting the development of an interconnected technological system of a coal mine and power stations in the Waterberg. It challenges the idea that state steel manufacturing corporations were proxies for the apartheid government and shows that their activities in the Waterberg set the stage for worker solidarity and trade union organization. The book also argues that state corporations had ambivalent relationships with the governments of their time, which complicates conventional understandings of the transition from apartheid to democratic South Africa.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 14 March 2023
Publisher: Ohio University Press

A captivating exploration that delves into the intricate interplay between technology and politics, unveiling the profound impact it has had on the history of South Africa since the 1960s. This comprehensive book offers a detailed account of the evolution of an interconnected technological system encompassing a coal mine and the Matimba and Medupi power stations situated in the picturesque Waterberg, a rural region nestled near the border with Botswana. The state steel manufacturing corporation, Iscor, which has since undergone privatization, played a pivotal role in this saga by establishing a coal mine in the region during the 1970s. This strategic move set the stage for the national electricity provider, Eskom, to construct coal-fueled power stations in the Waterberg.

Faeeza Ballim skillfully traces the development of these technological systems from the late 1960s, a period characterized by heightened repression as the apartheid government relentlessly pursued its vision of racial segregation. The construction of the Medupi power station, planned towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, was intended to address the country's pressing electricity shortage. However, the prolonged delay in its completion and the escalating costs resulted in its failure to achieve its intended goals, while public frustration and electricity outages soared. By unraveling this compelling narrative, this book underscores the indispensable role of technology in our understanding of South African history. It challenges the notion that technological state corporations served as mere proxies for the apartheid government, highlighting that their activities in the Waterberg did not necessarily align with the government's strategic objectives. While undeniably part of the broader national modernization project under apartheid, these corporations also laid the foundation for worker solidarity and trade union organization in the Waterberg, fostering a sense of collective empowerment amidst the oppressive conditions.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821425176