The concept "development" and its corollary "under- development" gained wide recognition and acceptance in the West in late 1950s and early 1960s, contemporaneous with the decolonisation of much of the Third World. In South Africa in contrast, the concept was largely shunned during the 1960s and early 1970s as the majority of white academics, politicians and state ideologues concentrated on explaining, rationalising and implementing "separate development" (apartheid). In the mid 1970s, confronted with an enduring structural/hegemonic crisis, the state and ruling white elite were forced to restructure the prevailing form of domination and embark on a series of new initiatives to defuse mass struggles and incorporate specific strata of the oppressed black majority. The state's approach, in particular, encapsulated in the notion of a "total strategy", put forward a new constellation of economic, political and ideological policies. It was within the context of this shift in policy that the concept of "development" can be seen to have emerged in South Africa in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This thesis sets out to identify both the factors which gave rise to the concept of "development" in South Africa, and the primary actors responsible for propagating the new ideas. It will also investigate the particular inflection given to "development" by apartheid policies. It will be argued that not only did "development" constitute part of a broad programme of ideological restructuring, but it also had practical content, shaping policies which had a material impact on the lives of millions of South Africans. A case study of the Transkei homeland will trace the rise of "development thinking" in one part of South Africa, and will argue that while the ideological content of socio-economic programmes might have altered, they did not appear to have substantially improved the living conditions of those to whom they were ostensibly directed.