Tag: failed state

South Africa stands at the edge of a precipice. Almost thirty years after its first democratic election, poor policy and rampant corruption have left the country standing on the brink of becoming a failed state. In this thought-provoking book, the authors interview a diverse group of public intellectuals, business leaders and political mavericks to discuss tangible ways South Africa can rescue itself from itself

Infrastructure challenges in South Africa are mounting in what is turning out to be a perfect storm. Power cuts, water shortages and potholes are all too common. The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) highlighted these challenges in its 2022 state of infrastructure report that revealed that South Africa is at risk of becoming a “failed state”.

Twenty months ago, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) published commentary unintentionally implying that institutional investors – the custodians of retirement funds – were suddenly allowed to place all their assets offshore, from a prior limit of 30%.

South Africans will not be surprised to learn from the 2016 Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) report, published by the Fraser Institute, that their country has lost another 12 places on the economic freedom index, dropping from 93rd in 2013 to 105th in 2014 (the latest year for which comprehensive figures are available for the 159 countries analysed). They will nevertheless be distressed to learn that SA has lost 73 places on the index since 2000.