Conclusion

Abstract

Studies of elites (also called opinion-leaders) have been undertaken in societies and communities around the world, illuminating the processes involved in social power. Different definitions of the term ‘elite’ have been used for different studies while not all studies have concentrated on the same processes. The common feature of these studies, namely a concern with a category of people at the top of status hierarchies, was the starting-point for this study which presents a profile of the modern African elite of South Africa.