Restructuring or reconciliation? South Africa's Reconstruction and Development Programme.

South Africa has entered a period of national reconstruction following the first democratic elections in April 1994. The new Government of National Unity faces formidable challenges as a result of the critical problems inherited from apartheid. There are daunting problems facing South Africa. The centerpiece of the government's efforts to promote these goals is the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). The RDP aims to bring about all-round socio-economic improvement, to focus the efforts of different levels and departments of government on this task and to make the process thoroughly participatory by mobilizing the resources of civil society to support it. The RDP represents a far-sighted attempt tackle the distortions of apartheid through a national reconstruction campaign. It seeks to balance radical reform with a process of change based on consensus. Some of the immediate obstacles to implementation are practical, including a shortage of experience among relevant actors, a need for more concrete plans and policies to be formulated, for project delivery and coordinating structures to be established and for extensive consultation and negotiation to be undertaken. Other obstacles are more political, reflecting the scope of the issues and interests at stake. The outcome may hinge on the emphasis the government attaches to socio-economic restructuring and redistribution against smoothing the political transition by proceeding through gradual compromise.