Theories Of Empowerment Theory In South Africa

From the understanding of the empowerment theory, one can see its positive relevance to South Africa’s decolonization and Africanization process. This can be so in that, a critical analysis on pre 1994 South Africa shows that the Republic was under white colonial rule of the National Party which sort to increase patterns of colonial discrimination of the Black South Africans through the devolution of political structures and the promotion of a putative independence in the African reserves Laura (2012). Race also played a pivotal role during this colonial period. The White rule was characterized by installation of oppression, denial of opportunities and poverty on the black majority based on belief in biological racial difference and hierarchy. This exemplifies the notion of oppression, discrimination and powerlessness suffered by the marginalized individuals and groups in some societies as argued by the empowerment theory. Decolonization now comes with the political independence of South Africa in 1994 which up to date is aimed at reversing all the impacts of the White colonial rule Fanon (2008). In order to achieve this, the ANC government shifted from the Afrikana Nationalism of the whites to Black Nationalism which advocates for equal distribution of wealth and resources and upliftment of black communities (Johnson, 2004). Empowerment polices such as the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) were put in place with the purpose of increasing economic transformation and enabling