Economic Realities Versus the #FeesMustFall Movement

The research paper examines the fiscal pressures facing South Africa, highlighting high government debt, sluggish economic growth, and rising public sector costs. It details specific budget allocations for infrastructure and energy, including the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme and nuclear procurement, while framing these economic realities against the backdrop of student demands for tertiary education funding.

• South Africa faces significant fiscal instability characterized by a high ratio of gross government debt to GDP, which was 47% at the time of writing and projected to reach 49.4% by 2018/2019. The Bank of International Settlements identified South Africa as having the highest government debt among 14 emerging economies since the 2007 global economic crisis.
• Government spending is pressured by rising costs in public sector salaries and benefits, which grew by 10.1% in 2015, and the servicing of government debt, which is expected to grow at an average of 10.9% in the medium term.
• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme is cited as a successful private sector intervention, attracting R193 billion in investment and adding 6,327 MW of capacity to the national grid.
• South Africa is exploring various energy and infrastructure options, including a cost-benefit analysis for new nuclear stations with R200 million allocated for preparatory work, and feasibility studies to utilize hydropower capacity in Mozambique.
• Economic growth projections for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 were adjusted downward by the Finance Ministry to 1.5% and 1.7% respectively, reflecting contractions in the manufacturing and mining sectors.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2015). Economic Realities Versus the #FeesMustFall Movement. https://saiia.org.za/research/economic-realities-versus-the-feesmustfall-movement/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Economic Realities Versus the #FeesMustFall Movement. 2015. https://saiia.org.za/research/economic-realities-versus-the-feesmustfall-movement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Economic Realities Versus the #FeesMustFall Movement |date=23 October 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/economic-realities-versus-the-feesmustfall-movement/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2015economic, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Economic Realities Versus the \#FeesMustFall Movement}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/economic-realities-versus-the-feesmustfall-movement/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }