South Africa
Reports on South Africa See all →
Instability in sub-Saharan Africa: The ‘tribal’ factor
A spate of violence against foreigners in South Africa last month highlighted Africa’s struggle to overcome ethnic divisions. In many countries, tribal and religious loyalties supersede national ones, making it difficult to create a united national polity. States that have been forced to unite in conflict have done better in overcoming tribalism. The ones that do so successfully will have a greater chance of achieving stability, and therefore attracting crucial foreign investment.
South Africa lurches toward uncompensated land seizures
The politically explosive land question has been revived in South Africa at an awkward moment. A motion by the Marxist-Leninist opposition to allow farmland to be expropriated without compensation hit the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as it was beset by corruption scandals, a slumping economy, and widespread voter disillusionment ...
GIS Dossier: South Africa counts the cost of a failed presidency
The troubling and, in the end, disastrous presidency of anti-apartheid struggle veteran Jacob Zuma has left the Republic of South Africa in a dire situation 24 years after its awe-inspiring transition to a multiracial democracy. His appointed successor, union leader turned businessman Cyril Ramaphosa, faces a deeply divided polity, mismanaged ...
South Africa’s new leader launches plan to accelerate growth
Following South Africa’s “lost decade” under the chaotic, often controversial leadership of former President Jacob Zuma, his successor faces challenges that are both daunting and delicate. President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to restore basic functionality of the South African state while its ruling party, and its multiethnic society, are increasingly divided ...
Will South Africa’s president survive the latest political storm?
South African President Jacob Zuma’s ill-advised government reshuffle and influence peddling scandals have alarmed financial markets, angered the opposition and put the country’s political system to its hardest test in decades. Even if Mr. Zuma manages to weather the crisis, he will emerge from it battered and at the mercy ...
