Since the transition from minority to majority rule in South Africa, change has been both rapid and profound. These changes go far beyond the constitutional changes which enfranchised the black and coloured populations of the country and dismantled apartheid. The current period of 'transition' involves a series of legislative and policy changes that are designed to transform South African society and bring much needed material benefits to the marginalised and the poor. Economic growth, reconstruction and development are the most immediate and pressing priorities of the African National Congress (ANC) Government. Across the country, at all levels of government, a new planning apparatus is being developed, effective economic development plans are being sought, and policies for the material and social development of previously disadvantaged communities, which are predominantly African, are in different stages of implementation. On this final point, the task is considerable as the majority of the urban black population lives in townships, or in informal settlements, that some would prefer to label apartheid 'gulags'.