Discourses of privatisation: the case of South Africa's water sector
Published on: 11/02/2008
Narsiah, S. (2008). Discourses of privatisation : the case of South Africa's water sector. Development Southern Africa ; vol. 25, no. 1 ; p. 21-35.
Author: Sagie Narsiah
Affiliation: Department of Geography, School of Applied Environment Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
Abstract
The neoliberal offensive incipient during the 1970s matured into a globally hegemonic discourse during the 1990s. Developing countries like South Africa have their own peculiar brand of neoliberalism. This has taken various forms in South Africa, one of which is privatisation. Its discursive origins may be traced to key thinkers and institutions. And while there is a general discourse of privatisation there also exist sub-discourses in particular sectors, such as the water services sector. This paper examines the way a general discourse of privatisation evolved in South Africa and how this discourse has filtered into water services delivery. It argues that key role players and institutions acted as disseminators of a discourse of privatisation in the water services sector.
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