Official ideology and lay members’ beliefs in Inkatha

ABSTRACT

The size, loyalty and commitment of Inkatha's members is seen as a vital element to Inkatha's importance in current South African politics. It is claimed to strengthen Buthelezi's bargaining position with the state and to differentiate Inkatha's support from the much less committed support of affiliate‐based organizations like the United Democratic Front. Yet this assumption about Inkatha ‘s lay members cannot be taken for granted, given the paucity of the empirical data on Inkatha membership. One measure of this commitment is the extent to which lay members have internalized the movement's official ideology. It is thus evident in the degree of coherence between official ideology and the beliefs of lay members. This paper reports on empirical research amongst a sample of Inkatha's members in Kwa Mashu in order to assess this coherence.