Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The African State is a product of colonialism. It did not emerge from the needs of
African people; indeed, the very concept is foreign to traditional African notions of
authority. When the colonial era came to a close, its institutions were turned over to
local elites who were either too inexperienced or too out of touch with the people they
supposedly represented to effectively govern and manage the newly independent
states. The result was widespread and continual ethno-regional violence, coupled with
the progressive disintegration of the state authority and civil society. When such
conditions remain unchecked, they ultimately lead to what political analysts refer to
as the collapse of the state.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, constitutes a recent
example of this phenomenon. At present, approximately half of its territory is under
foreign military occupation, with no fewer than six states involved, whether officially
or unofficially: Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi intervening on the side of the rebels,
and Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia supporting government forces (These states
have since withdrawn their forces). To this number must be added a number of
opposition groups from neighbouring states, including The Union for the Total
Independence of Angola (UNITA), some elements from the all-Hutu militia wing of
Burundi's Conseil national pour la démocratie (CND) and remnant Rwandan Hutu,
the so-called Interhamwe, as well as Mai-Mai and FRF (les Forces républicaines
fédéralistes, led by Muller Ruhim) factions who fight the presence of the Rwandan
army in the DRC (neither of which could be described as pro-governmental).
The DRC is a failed state. All structures of legitimate power and authority have
disintegrated; political order and the rule of law have been suspended. As a result, the
state is rendered impotent: it cannot seek the welfare of its citizens, provide health
care and education, dispense justice or maintain existing infrastructure. Civil society
lacks the ability to fill the vacuum, and tribal and ethnic conflicts have steadily
intensified. The study analyses the reasons for state collapse in general and examines the
immediate causes of the conflict in the DRC in particular, including the legacy of
colonial rule, land shortages and ethnic rivalry. It attempts to show that the collapse
of the state in the ORC resulted largely from the imposition of poorly adapted
western-style political institutions on traditional African structures of authority.
Against this background, the study shows that the poor performance of the Congolese
government in terms of its ability to constitute a legitimate arena for political activity,
to confer a national identity and to act as security guarantor for its population
represent the broad causes of the failure of the ORC state.
State collapse is a long-term degenerative process, marked by the loss of control
over political and economic space. As neighbouring states encroached on the failing
ORC, its legitimacy was gravely undermined through the direct involvement of these
states in its political processes. Moreover, these neighbouring countries harbour
dissident movements who seek to influence ORC politics from within the safety of
their borders.
The collapse of the ORC poses a grave threat to African, and indeed global,
stability, compromising neighbouring states through the vast influx of refugees and
stimulating the illegal arms trade. The extent of the crises compels the international
community to intervene. The immediate priority should be the reconstruction of a
legitimate state system within the limits of the present borders. This can only be made
possible through the implementation of the Lusaka agreement, which offers the most
hope for a solution through the restoration of legitimate government, the reassertion
of Congolese sovereignty, the reconstruction of a disciplined and efficient military
and the convocation of a body for inter-Congolese dialogue.
The ORC has been characterised by gross mismanagement ever since its
independence in 1960; it is of the utmost urgency that the crisis not be allowed to
escalate further. The ORC state needs total reconstruction: a process that will be
extremely complex and time consuming, aimed at reviving institutional mechanisms
that will return legitimate power to the state and re-establish social trust. In order to achieve these goals, a forum of national reconciliation, where all the belligerents in
the conflict must participate towards finding a solution, will have to be established.
The first priority of such a body should be the creation of a strong democratic
transitional government before any further reconstruction of the state can be
attempted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die staat in Afrika is 'n produk van kolonialisme. Post-koloniale Afrikastate was
nie die natuurlike uitvloeisels van die behoeftes van Afrikane nie; inderdaad, selfs die
konsep van 'n nasiestaat was vreemd binne die konteks van tradisionele, inheemse
gesagstrukture. Die plaaslike elites, in wie se hande die koloniale instellings, en
daarmee saam die staatsgesag, oorgegee is met die beëindiging van koloniale beheer,
het nie oor die vaardighede beskik om effektiewe regering en beheer oor die nuut onafhanklike
state uit te oefen nie; hulle was meestal onervare of uit voeling met die
bevolkings oor wie hulle regeer het. Die gevolg was wydverspreide en voortslepende
etniese en regionale geweld en die geleidelike verbrokkeling van staatsgesag en die
burgerlike gemeenskap. Wanneer sulke omstandighede toegelaat word om hul loop te
neem, lei dit onvermydelik tot die uiteindelike totale verbrokkeling van die staat.
Die Demokratiese Republiek van die Kongo (DRK) - die voormalige Zaïre - is 'n
voorbeeld van hierdie verskynsel. Nagenoeg die helfte van die oppervlakte van dié
land is tans onder offisiële of nie-offisiële buitelandse militêre besetting, met nie
minder nie as ses state wat betrek is by die konflik: Rwanda, Oeganda en Burundi
ondersteun die rebelle; Angola, Zimbabwe en Namibië (hierdie state het sedertdien
hul magte ontrek) veg aan die kant van regeringsmagte. Afgesien van hierdie magte,
is daar ook verskeie opposisiegroepe wat vanuit buurstate optree, insluitende UNITA vegters
uit Angola, elemente van die uitsluitlik Hutu militêre vleuel van die
Burundese Conseil national pour la démocratie (CND) en oorblyfsels van die
Rwandese Hutus (die sogenaamde Interhamwe), asook Mai-Mai en FRF (les Farces
républicaines fédéralistes, onder die aanvoering van Muller Ruhim) faksies.
Laasgenoemde twee groepe veg teen die teenwoordigheid van die Rwandese weermag
in die DRK; nie een van die twee kan as pro-regering beskryf word nie.
Die DRK is 'n mislukte staat. Alle legitieme mag- en gesagstrukture het
verbrokkel; politieke beheer en wetstoepassing is opgehef. Die gevolg is dat die staat
onmagtig is om die welvaart van sy burgers te bevorder, gesondheidsdienste en opvoeding te verskaf, regspleging uit te voer of bestaande infrastruktuur in stand te
hou. Die burgerlike gemeenskap beskik nie oor die vaardighede om in die gaping te
tree nie, en stam- en etniese konflik neem steeds toe.
Hierdie studie ondersoek die algemene redes vir staatsverval en die spesifieke
oorsake van die krisis in die DRK, waaronder die koloniale invloed, grondkwessies en
etniese konflik. Daar word gepoog om aan te toon dat die staatsverval binne die DRK
grotendeels toe te skryf is aan die afdwing van ontoepaslike, Westerse politiese
instellings op tradisionele, inheemse gesagstrukture. In die lig hiervan word daar
verder aangevoer dat die swak vertoning van die Kongolese regering - die onvermoë
om as legitieme politieke arena te dien, 'n nasionale identiteit aan staatsburgers te
verleen en hulle veiligheid te verseker - die basiese oorsaak is van die mislukking van
die staat in die DRK.
Staatsverval is 'n geleidelike proses; 'n stelselmatige en langduringe aftakeling,
gekenmerk deur die verlies aan beheer oor die politieke en ekonomiese sfere. Namate
buurstate toenemend betrokke geraak het in die probleemgeteisterde DRK, is
staatslegitimiteit verder ondermyn deur die direkte politieke inmenging van hierdie
buurlande. Daarby huisves hierdie lande ook afvallige groepe wat poog om politieke
invloed op die DRK van buite die landsgrense uit te oefen.
Die verbrokkeling van die staat binne die DRK is 'n wesenlike bedreiging vir
stabiliteit binne Afrika, maar ook op 'n internasionale skaal. Sy buurstate word
bedreig deur grootskaalse vlugtelingbewegings en die voorslepende konflik stimuleer
onwettige internasionale wapenhandel. Die omvang van die krisis noop die
internasionale gemeenskap om in te gryp. Die onmiddellike prioriteit van sodanige
ingryping behoort die rekonstruksie van 'n legitieme staatstelsel binne die bestaande
landsgrense te wees; dit kan slegs bewerkstellig word deur die implementering van
die Lusaka ooreenkoms. Hierdie ooreenkoms bied die meeste hoop vir 'n oplossing
tot die krisis deur die daarstelling van 'n legitieme regering, die herbevestiging van
Kongolese soewereiniteit, die rekonstruksie van 'n gedissiplineerde en effektiewe
militêre mag en die skep van 'n nasionale versoeningsliggaam. Sedert sy onafhanklikwording in 1960, is die DRC gekenmerk deur ernstige
wanadministrasie. Dit is van uiterste belang dat hierdie situasie nie toegelaat word om
voort te duur en te vererger nie. Algehele rekonstruksie is nodig - 'n uiters komplekse
en tydsame proses met die uiteindelike oogmerk om daardie institusionele
meganismes wat 'n terugkeer tot legitieme mag en gesag en 'n herbevestiging van
burgelike vertroue tot gevolg sal hê, te laat herleef. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik,
sal 'n nasionale versoeningsliggaam geskep moet word. Alle partye in die konflik
behoort betrek te word in 'n poging om 'n oplossing te vind. Hierdie liggaam sal 'n
sterk, verteenwoordigende oorgangsregering daar moet stel voordat enige verdere
vordering met die rekonstruksie van die staat sal kan plaasvind.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53061 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Tshileu N'Kolomona, Olivier-Issa |
| Contributors | Leysens, A. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 108 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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