Language, social practices and the politics of identity in South Africa

This study is about the ambiguity of Zulu identity. It examines ways in which youths in KwaZulu/Natal constructed, defined and negotiated Zulu identity during the historic period of political transformation from an apartheid state to a democratically elected one, (1991/1992). Through ethnographic material, this study reports on how the construction of this identity was dependent on the use of symbolic resources such as Zulu history, language and culture, and on how this identity enhanced or limited the possibilities of those who self identified as Zulus from participating in a post apartheid KwaZulu state. It is argued that the use of symbolic material such as language and history in formal politics, encompassing the actions of political organisations and other interest groups competing for power in a post apartheid state, created complexities, ambiguities and paradoxes that influenced and simultaneously were expressed in interpersonal politics , that is, in the negotiation of relations of power and solidarity among individuals in interaction. Two political organisations fought to give meaning to Zulu identity and to define the character of a post apartheid state: Inkatha Freedom Party, and the African National Congress. On the one hand, Inkatha envisioned a post apartheid state organised around ethnic constituencies and accommodating group rights. It viewed Zulus as those people who showed allegiance to it by participating in its political and cultural events and engaged in Zulu cultural practices. On the other hand however, the ANC envisioned a “non-racial” South Africa and considered Inkatha's version of a politicised ethnic nationalism dangerous to the creation of an imagined non-racial state. This study analyses the strategies employed by youths trying to, first, negotiate the anarchistic tendencies of township life that resulted from the struggle in formal politics; second, deal with the ambiguities and contradictions that resulted from the intersection between Zulu identity and “formal” politics; and third, participate in the construction of a post apartheid (KwaZulu) state which inevitably led to the reconstruction of Zulu identity itself. The first strategy of negotiating conflict is seen through the practices of a group of youths known as tsatsatsa, whose approach was to participate in, and yet redefine the meaning and practices of both Zulu identity and formal politics. The second strategy is that of a group of youths whose tactic was to separate formal politics from certain spaces, specifically the soccer space, which then allowed them to enact valued Zulu cultural practices without interference from practices in formal politics. The third strategy of survival is seen through the practices of those youths who refused to embrace or negotiate either formal politics and Zulu culture and thus undermined the restrictions placed on individuals by sociopolitical structures. All these strategies are important as they inform us about the challenges placed on institutionalised meanings of Zulu identity, and the consequences faced by those who challenged this identity. Above all, these strategies are important because they provide us with a picture of new regional identities, about what post apartheid Zulu identity might look like, and about the possibilities for individuals to participate in this new regional state.