Oilspots, oases, voices and scorpions whither development struggles?

Conclusion

Obviously the terms that have been used are not precise concepts, but rather pictures that can be used for seeing development processes as they unfold. We need these pictures at the moment because the power and sheer magnitude of a technicist developmental ideology is permeating the entire structure and systems of the RDP. Hopefully as more people try to really unpack the meaning of developmental concepts, more and more space will be created for critical reflection and review. There is a very serious danger that populist developmentalism — supported by a technocratic disempowering discourse — could spill over into a new authoritarianism — ‘if you don't support our line, you must be against the people and the President’. The alternative must be to struggle for a more democratic developmentalism that is rooted in accountable organisational structures across all sectors. This can only happen, however, if we retain our past traditions of critical review and reassessment of our assumptions and strategies.