White South African Elites : a study of incumbents of top positions in the Republic of South Africa

201 Pages·1974·39.738 MB·English

by  Hendrik W. van der Merwe, M. J. Ashley, Nancy C. J. Charton and Bettina J. Huber

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H.W. van der Merwe
M J. Ashley
N.C.J. Chartorr
BJ. Huber
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This book is the result of years of
teamwork of four social scientists,
South African and American: Hzx-
nztz W. v~ nzz Mzzwz, Director
of the Centre of Intergroup Studies
in Cape Town; MrcHazt. AsHt.zv,
educationist at Rhodes Univernty;
K~cv C~ttrow, political scientist
at Rhodes University, and Bzrrma
HtJzzz, sociologist at the University
of California,S anta Barbara.
This study depended on the co-
operation ofn early one thousand of
South Africa's top men and women
who devoted a few hours of their
valuable time to complete compre-
hensive questionnaires. The book
contains not only details about their
socio-economic backgrounds, educa-
tional achievements, images of the
fitture, views on class and race, and
attitudes towards other population
groups, but also places them in the
wider context of the rest of the
White population.
A major finding of the book is the
striking contrasts between back-
grounds and opinions of English- and
Afrikaans-speaking elites; such con-
trasts are far less marked between
the younger members of the Mute
population.
As it is unlikely that such a study
will be undertaken again for many
years, this is a unique reference
work.
ISBN o,oat ogr6 3
WHITE
SOUTH AFRICAN EI.ITES
A Study of Incumbents of Top Positions
in the Republic of South A&iea
Hendrik %Y. van der Merwe
M. J. Ashley
Nancy C. J. Charton
BettinaJ. Huber
JUTA 4 COMPANY ITD.
E TQWVN WYNBERG JO~ ESBURG DURBAN
ISBN 0 7021 0516 3
© H. W. van der Merwe
Printed by Cape R Transvaal Mnters Ltd., Gape Town
PREFACE
The survey of white South African elites was conducted
during 1968 and 1969, 6rst under the auspices of the Institute
for Social and Economic Research at Rhodes University and,
subsequently, under those of the Centre for Intergroup studies,
formerly known as the Abe Bailey Institute of Interracial
Studim, at the University of Cape Town.
The impetus for this study grew naturally out of my previous
research. %York on commumty leadership patterns in a
Canadian and in a South African town proved that the nature
of local issues and decisions was in large part moulded by the
larger national context. (Van der Merwe, 1962, 1963, 1966,
1967). The subordination of local issues to national concerns is
a common feature of contemporary South African society. In
view of these observations it was natural for us to turn &om
local to national leaders as foci of investigation.
This book is the result of a joint elfort of the persons listed as
co-authors. I initiated the project and obtained a grant from
the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa. Subse-
quently Mrs Nancy C. J. Charton of the Department of
Political Studies and Mr M. J. Ashley of the Department of
Education at Rhodes University joined me. They assisted in
the preparation and administration of the questionnaire and
in analysing the data. Miss Bettina J. Huber, then a doctoral
candidate in Sociology at Yale University (currently at the
University of California, Santa Barbara), was recruited as a
research assistant. She spent one year in South A&ica super-
vising interviewing in the urban areas.
The chapters bear the imprint of their respective authors.
Some chapters were written almost entirely by one author
while others were joint efforts of more than one person. The
authors of the various chapters are indicated in brackets in the
table of contents. The style and presentation of material in the
various chapters are therefore not uniform, especially since all
four authors were highly mobile and spent lengthy periods in
different continents while the manuscript was in preparation.
The bibliography contains references to several interim
reports that have appeared since 1968. In the text only brief
reference is made to some of these. Bettina Huber's doctoral
dissertation, "Images of the Future Among the KVhite South
African Elite", was submitted to Yale University in early 1973.
I am very grateful to Nancy Charton and Michael Ashley
for their devoted and pleasant co-operation, their excellent
contributions, and their academic stimulation; to Bettina Huber
for the most conscientious way in which she conducted and
supervised 6eld work, and for the sophisticated statistical analy-
ses she has made; to Dr Rita Brodie and Mrs Sara Pascall for
research assistance; to Mrs Helen Albertyn for secretarial and
editorial assistance; to the numerous interviewers who collected
information, and to the public who co-operated in the survey.
The authorsa re indebted to the H.S.R.C. for ha~ing made
available a generous grant to conduct this study. The selection
of the topic of research, the focus of the investigation and analy-
ses, the presentation of Sndings, the opinions expressed and the
conclusions reached are those of the authors and must in no
instance be regarded as a reHection of the opinions and conclu-
sions of the Human Sciences Research Council.
Cape Town Hendrik W. van der Merwe
October 1973
CONTENTS
Identifying and interviewing the Ehtes(Huaca and
VAN DER MKRWK)
11
Introduction .
Definitions of Klites . 2
Identilying Elite Members and Respondents .
The Interview Process 9
Representativeness of the Interview Sample: . 14
Analyses of the elite cadre 14
SVho's Who analyses . 15
Conclusion 18
A ProQe of the White South African Klites(HUsza,
CHARON and VAv nKR MERwK) 19
Introduction . 19
South Africa's Peoples and Policies 19
The Klites' Location in the White Group 24
Major Characteristics of the Elite Language
Groups . 26
Some Causal Patterns 32
The Angiicisation of Afrikaner Elites .
Socialisation and Education(Asamv)
Socialisation of the Klites:
Place of birth .
Childhood locale .
High school
University .
Religion
Area of Educational specialisation
An Elitist Educations: .
Akikaans and parallel-medium schools
English-medium schools .
Types of Universities
The relative Impact of Ethnic and Struct~ Factors
on Attitudes towards Segregation and Dissent
(HUsza and Vwv nKR MKRwK) 61
Attitudes Towards Legal Segregation . 61
The Impact of Occupational Sector on Attitudes 67
Tolerance of Dissent. 74
Summary 76
5 Class Derivations and Perceptions of A&ikaans- and
English-Speaking Klites (VAN DER MKRwz) 79
Introduction . 79
Class Derivations and Present Status: 79
Occupational status 81
Intergenerational mobility 83
Education . 84
Income. 85
Class Perceptions Among Klites: 85
Awareness of classes 87
Class divisions 88
Criteria of class 89
Individual Ability and Social Environment 90
Images ofP restige and Power: 94
Occupational prestige 94
Most powerful and most admirable South
A&icans 98
Conclusions 101
6 The Polity Elites (CHARON) .
Delinition.
The Significanceof the Polity Klites in the South
A&ican Political System . 104
Signi6cant Factors in the Socio-Economic Back-
ground of the Polity Klites 105
The Field of Experience of the Polity Klites: . 107
Childhood environment of polity elites . 108
Religion 108
Education . 110
Military service 115
Occupational patterns in the legislature 116
Travel abroad 117
Interracial contact 118
Conclusions 119
7 Party Allegiance and Political Participation
(CHARTON) 121
The South African Political Scene in 1968 121
Political Party Allegiance of Klites: 128
Sector 128
Home Language 128
Childhood environment 130
Political Participation: 131
Party change 132
Conclusions 135
8 Some Political Attitudes of the Elites (Can row and
V~ nER MEawE. 136
Definitions of Democracy 136
The Role of the Political Party. 139
Opinions on Nationalised Industry 140
PoliticalTo lerance: . 142
The rights of radicals 142
Political intermarriage 145
Evaluation of Certain Interest and Pressure
Groups
Conclusions
9 Images of the Future (HUIER) 151
Preliminary Definitions . 151
The Self-Anchoring Striving Scale, 152
Expectations for the Future. 156
Images of the Future as Causal Variables. 159
A Comparative Perspective: 161
Internal comparisons . 161
International comparisons 165
10 Whither White South Africa? (Chow and VAN
DER MERVIPE) 170
Relations Between Language Groups . 170
Elites and the Masses 174
Beyond the Elites 175
Bibliography
Index 187
LIST OF TABLES
Tabk Page
Number of Elites Approached and Interviewed in
Terms of Sector . 5
Klites and white Population by Home Language . 26
23
Selected Background Characteristics by Home
Language. 28
Home Language of Klites by Ethnic Background . 34
Childhood Locale by Language Group of Elites . 41
4567
High School Attended According to Language
Group.
Undergraduate Univemty Attended by Language
Group of Elites
Father's Religion by Language Group of Klites.
9 Index of Legal Segregation by Home Language
10 Index of Legal Segregation by Political Party
Preference
11 Index of Legal Segregation by Occupational Sector .
12 Political Party Preference by Occupational Sector
13 Proportion of Respondents Favouring Limited or no
Legal Segregationb y Home Language and Occu-
pational Sector 70
14 Proportion of Respondents Favouring Limited or no
Legal Segregation by Political Preference and
OccpuationalSector. 71
15 Relationship of Legal Segregation and Dissent . 75
16 Occupational Status of Respondent's Father, His
Own Initial Occupation and His Present Occu-
pation .
17 Occupational Status of Khtes and their Fathers in
Terms of Language Group .
18 Educational Qualifications of Klites and their
Fathers in Terms of Language Group
19 Income Distribution of ~ ans and English Elites.
20 Views of Language Groups and Political Parties on
Social Inequality. 92
21 Rank Order of Positions by Language Group 96
22 Language Group of Most Powerful and Most Admir-
able PeopleA ccording to Language Group of Re-
spondent .
23 Political Party Preference of Language Groups
Among Eiites. 129