Micro-Assistance to Democracy and Sustainability: An Empirical Study of EU Aid to Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This article discusses the programme of assistance to community-based organisations carried out by the European Union in South Africa during the years 1996–2004. As part of what the author defines as ‘micro-assistance to democracy’—since it encourages democratic deepening from below—this programme addressed marginalised communities and mainly concentrated on the promotion of socioeconomic rights. By employing empirical data collected during a two-year fieldwork, this article maintains that, although more specifically targeted than top-down instruments of democracy assistance, the EU-sponsored micro-assistance revealed serious weaknesses in terms of ensuring the financially sustainability of these organisations in the new democratic South Africa.

Acknowledgements

A particular acknowledgement is due to my colleagues at the Department of Political Sciences of the University of Pretoria and to its head, Maxi Schoeman, for her constant assistance and mentorship. I am also particularly indebted to Gerrit Olivier, director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Johannesburg. Finally, I want to thank Sonia Lucarelli from the University of Bologna (Italy) for her comments and suggestions.

Notes

See http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,2340,en_2649_3236398_35401554_1_1_1_1,00.html (accessed 10 February, 2009).

Micro-projects are a way of financing democratisation activities at very low cost, between [euro]5,000 and [euro]70,000. The aim is to top up aid for local civil society initiatives and to strengthen their contribution to the democratic process.

Owing to the specific characteristics of these CBOs, this research could not rely on a pre-established set of indicators and, therefore, qualitative information was mainly employed to guide the quantitative analysis and assist in the interpretation of the data.

According to O'Donnell (1992, p. 33), while the sudden death of a new democracy usually refers to cases of coup d’état, democratic decay is ‘a progressive diminution of existing spaces for the exercise of civilian power and the effectiveness of the classic guarantees of liberal constitutionalism,’ and a ‘slow and at times opaque’ process of successive ‘authoritarian advances,’ which in the end would lead to a ‘democradura’, a repressive and facade democracy.

According to Terry L. Karl and Philippe C. Schmitter (1991), the ‘fallacy of electoralism’ corresponds to the assumption that free and fair elections equate to democracy.

The notion of partial regimes has also been employed to study the evolution of specific democratic actors or bodies in the process of democratic consolidation. See, for instance, Pridham (1990).

More information about the history of Kagiso Trust is available at http://www.kagisotrust.com/about.html (accessed 10 February 2009).

Face-to-face interview, 15 June 2003, Pretoria.

These organisations include: Barkly East Advice Office, Bathurst Advice Office, Berlin Advice Office, Bizana Community Advice Office, Black Sash Knysna Advice Office, Bloemhof Legal and Education Centre, Bloodriver Advice Office, Clermont Community Resource Centre, Cradock Advice Office, Dientjie Advice Office, Dordrecht Advice Office, Elliot Advice Office, Hlatlolanang Health and Education Centre, Hopetown Advice Office, Jansenville Advice Centre, Jersey Farm Advice Office, Kgwana Community Advice Centre, Kubonankele Advice Office, Leeudoringstad Advice Centre, Lesedi Advice Office, Libode Community Advice Office, Lothava Legal Advice Office, Masakhe Advice Office, Messina Advice Office, Mokerong Advice Office, Molteno Community Advice Office, Mountfletcher Advice Office, Nababeep Advice and Development Office, Ngcele Advice Office, Nieu-Bethesda Advice Centre, Nkomazi Community Advice Office, Odi Community Law Centre, Orange Farm Advice Office, Orkney Community Legal Centre, Richtersveld Advice Office, Simunye Legal Resource Foundation, St Charles Lwanga Advice Office, Steinkopf Advice Office, Sun Rise Resource Centre, Tabankulu Advice Office, Thusanang Advice Centre, Tlhlabologang Legal Education Centre, Tshedimosetso Advice and Development Centre, Tsomo Community Advice Office, Ukuthula Advice Office, Warmbaths Advice Office, Welkom Advice Office, Wilo Mqanduli Advice Office.

Since its inception in 1998, the child support grant has targeted over three million poor children. For most women-run households, this grant is often the only source of income. In October 2008, the grant was increased to R230 a month.

Face-to-face interview with a CBO manager from KwaZulu-Natal, 16 February 2004.

For a detailed discussion of this trend, see the special issue of Third World Quarterly, 21(4), 2000, which deals specifically with the future of NGOs beyond foreign aid.

These two variables were not reciprocally correlated. Although apparently counterintuitive, this non-correlation can be explained by the fact that the second variable (EUA) is a ‘relative’ measure of the EU funding, calculated as a ratio on the overall life of each organisation. By contrast, the variable EUF is a ‘direct’ of EU funding, without considering for how long this funding has ‘weighted’ on the activities of the organisations.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lorenzo Fioramonti

∗Research Fellow at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, Lynwod rd, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa