South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe – White Goods in Post-Colonial Societies: Markets, the State and Production

Chapter published in Nichols, T. & Cam, S. (eds.). Labour in a Global World: Case Studies from the White Goods Industry in Africa, South America, East Asia and Europe. London: Palgrave Macmillan. This chapter considers changes in the labour regimes in the white goods industry in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. It draws on Mahmood Mamdani's notion of a bifurcated state to illustrate how changes in labour regime are still embedded in a post-colonial industrial structure that is locked into urban and rural divides. It draws on factory interviews as well as population and market data to show how these divides do not only play out in the realm of production, but also consumption patterns. The book can be ordered online.