The Qwaqwa Public Service, 1975-1994

This article explores the role of white male public officials who occupied senior positions in the Qwaqwa bantustan's public service during the rule of the Dikwankwetla Party under the leadership of Chief T. K. Mopeli, from 1975 to 1994. The core argument advanced is that the role of white men in the Qwaqwa public service had adverse consequences for local bantustan politics. As a result, the ruling Dikwankwetla Party increasingly experienced a backlash from anti-bantustan formations. The article situates the role played by these white public servants in the broader historiography of the bantustans in South Africa, and thus references other bantustans as well.