Scenarios of change in South Africa

Political change in South Africa, following the years of apartheid, was the resultant of many social, political and economic forces, involving many actors, working through many processes. The whole momentous story has inspired an enormous literature, from the autobiographical writings of iconic figures such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, to journalism such as that of Allister Sparks, and of course a plethora of academic books and papers. This paper focuses on one aspect of these historic events: the process whereby, before the arrival of the new government in 1994, diverse groups of people were brought together to review, discuss or develop ‘scenarios’ of different futures for the governance and socioeconomic development of the country.