Sampie Terreblanche (17 April 1933–17 February 2018): Afrikaner Political Economist who Spoke Truth to Power to both the NP and ANC

• Author: Christelle Terreblanche
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/saje.12193
• Date: 01 June 2018
• Published date: 01 June 2018

SAMPIE TERREBLANCHE (17 APRIL 1933–17 FEBRUARY

2018): AFRIKANER POLITICAL ECONOMIST WHO SPOKE

TRUTH TO POWER TO BOTH THE NP AND ANC

CHRISTELLE TERREBLANCHE*

,†

To sum up Sampie Terreblanche simply as a “maverick” intellectual would perhaps be

unfair. His progression from an Afrikaner nationalist, to an advocate of its demise to an

African National Congress (ANC) supporter, to a fierce critic of the ruling party was cer-

tainly spectacular and often dramatic. But each shift in his 50 years as public intellectual

and political economist was preceded by deep soul-searching and intense discussions

with his close friends and family about how to best serve the common good.

Sampie may ultimately be remembered for his fearlessness in speaking truth to power,

constantly reminding society about apartheid and post-apartheid injustices inherent in

economic inequality. It did not matter whether it was the apartheid government during

the era of turbulent clashes under former heads of state, John Vorster and PW Botha, or

the ANC government whom he accused of selling out its own marginalised constituency.

His harsh judgement of ANC policy came fifteen years after he eagerly participated in

unofficial “talks about talks” with the then banned ANC in exile, paving the way for for-

mal negotiations and a political settlement (Terreblanche, 1990, 2012b:25–28).

1

His critique of the ANC’s economic policy was long in the making as Sampie wrestled

over his extensive academic career as a political economist with apartheid’s systemic eco-

nomic injustice, which he came to fear, may theoretically be too entrenched to overcome

without a tearing down of elite structures. His theoretical perspectives were paralleled by

his intense involvement in processes that marked the attempted transition out of the

morass of racial capitalism.

Sampie also made waves by arguing that a redistributive “wealth tax” ought to be lev-

ied in South Africa to help the transformation of post-apartheid society, followed by a

definitive book on systemic inequality in South Africa. Twenty years ago, Terreblanche

said about the redistributive logic of taxing the rich to overcome apartheid: “The income

could be used to set up a restitution fund to help alleviate the worst poverty in South

Africa” (TRC, 2003 [1998]: Vol. 4; Terreblanche, 2017, 2018). Writing in November

2017 about widespread scorn he received in 1997 from TRC liberals, neoliberals and

ANC nationalists alike, he said: “The proposal elicited strong disapproval. One

* Corresponding author: PhD candidate, Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-

Natal. E-mail: terreblanche.christelle@gmail.com

†

The author is a daughter of the late professor emeritus Sampie Terreblanche

1

See also, ‘Author’s Note’in Terreblanche 2014.

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C2018 Economic Society of South Africa. doi: 10.1111/saje.12193

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South African Journal of Economics Vol. 86:2 June 2018

South African Journal

of Economics