The promise and the possibility: South Africa's contested industrial relations path

A new vision of industrial relations emerged in the 1990s that grew out of a confident and militant labour movement which (unconsciously) drew on some of the key characteristics of a Coordinated Market Economy (CME). This outcome involved compromise which was contested from the beginning by all three social partners - labour, employers and government. Above all, the ability of the social partners to implement this fragile compromise was hampered by the complex legacy of South Africa's apartheid past. These tensions culminated in the Marikana massacre of 34 miners in August 2012.