South Africa: The economic and political decline of the country

The briefing examines South Africa's decline, citing a failing education system that has increased unemployment and inequality. It highlights a political culture of corruption within the ANC, where public office is used for personal gain, and notes that while the government cites successes in health and tourism, leadership failures and state looting continue to hinder economic growth.

• South Africa's education system is among the worst in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, with only 15% of children able to read and write at minimally prescribed levels by age 12. This failure has contributed to rising inequality, with the Gini Coefficient increasing from 0.59 in 1993 to 0.63 in 2011, and an official unemployment rate that rose from 20% in 1994 to 25% in 2012.
• Economic growth in South Africa has stagnated at an annual GDP growth of 2% over the last decade, significantly lower than the 6% average recorded by countries north of the Limpopo River. Projections suggest Nigeria may surpass South Africa as Africa's largest economy within ten years.
• The political environment is characterized as a de facto one-party state dominated by the ANC, where political roles are often used to access public funds and buy influence. This has led to a lack of accountability, forcing civil society to rely on the judiciary to secure basic government services like textbooks.
• Under President Jacob Zuma, corruption and the looting of state resources have increased. Specifically, R238 million in taxpayers' money was used for upgrades to Zuma's private homestead in Nkandla, an amount that could have funded 3,600 low-cost houses or thousands of professional salaries.
• Despite economic and political decline, the government reports successes in public health and finance, including a 50% decrease in child mortality, an increase in average lifespan from 48 to 54 in 2011, and South Africa becoming the first African country included in the Citigroup World Government Bond Index (WGBI).

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). South Africa: The economic and political decline of the country. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-economic-and-political-decline-of-the-country

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. South Africa: The economic and political decline of the country. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-economic-and-political-decline-of-the-country.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=South Africa: The economic and political decline of the country |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-economic-and-political-decline-of-the-country |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndsouth, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{South Africa: The economic and political decline of the country}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-economic-and-political-decline-of-the-country}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }