THE STATE, CIVIL-SOCIETY, AND DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION IN SOUTH-AFRICA -A SURVEY OF ELITE ATTITUDES

The presence of civil society is widely recognized as a crucially impo rtant component of the foundation of stable democracy. Divided societi es can be expected to be lacking in this attribute. Yet claims have be en made for the existence of a civil society in South Africa, which is usually typified as a leading example of a deeply divided society. Th e importance of this claim for the consolidation of democracy lies in the fact that negotiators were able to converge on a new set of consti tutional rules of the game, to hold a founding election, and to establ ish a Government of National Unity to replace the apartheid state and regime. The question is whether these steps toward securing democracy after apartheid are buttressed by the presence of a civil society or a re taken in its absence. If the latter applies, then the immediate tas k of the new government will have to be both to democratize the state and regime and to civilize society. This article addresses this questi on by reporting on data that bear on the attitudes of elites to the st ate and to a wide variety of civic bodies in South Africa.