South Africa
Reports on South Africa See all →
Dim prospects for developing countries
Developing countries are facing some favorable global conditions, with cheap financing, rising commodity prices, and foreign investors looking for opportunity. But three roadblocks will prevent improved growth in Africa and other developing economies: government involvement in the market, an outsize bureaucracy, and an undereducated labor force. The solutions now being pursued, from a new African trade bloc to Chinese investment, are not likely to succeed.
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 ...
A ray of hope for South Africa
South Africa’s municipal elections, held in early August, resulted in huge losses for the African National Congress. The Democratic Alliance, under the leadership of Mmusi Maimane, gained a majority in several important metropolitan areas. The new local governments will likely manage to reduce corruption and improve administrative efficiency – to ...
