2024-04-22 22:09:03
At the end of April, South Africa is celebrating 30 years of the first multiracial elections and the advent of democracy. On April 27, 1994, after a historic election, Nelson Mandela was elected president, and the country turned the page on the apartheid years. Since then, the ANC has remained in power. The economy has continued to develop, and the country is now one of the most industrialized on the continent, but the results are rather mixed.
From our correspondent in Johannesburg,
For economist Azar Jammine, the country has in fact experienced two periods since 1994: before and after the presidency of Jacob Zuma, marked by corruption. “ The first fifteen years were quite successful. The country experienced an average growth of 3% per year, between 1994 and 2001. And then, almost 5% per year between 2001 and 2007. It must be said that this coincided with a boom in commodity prices, so everything was fine . But as of 2012, the South African economy has made very little progress, with a significant decline in growth », he explains.
The IMF now forecasts growth of 0.9% in 2024 for the country. And even if the number of jobs has increased since 1994, the pace has not been sustained enough, since nearly 32% of South Africans are unemployed – and in particular black populations. In addition, positive discrimination policies have not sufficiently transformed the world of work, according to Xhanti Payi, economist for PwC.
« Facilitating inclusion within the economy has been a challenge, whether you look at who is running the businesses, or who owns the wealth in South Africa. Former President Mbeki even spoke of two economies », recalls the expert. “ However, inclusion is important, because when we distribute wealth, we also create a little more of it, since more people will have something to consume and something to contribute. »
The minimum wage, “one of the successes of the ANC”
South Africa remains like this one of the most unequal countries in the world, according to the Gini index. ” One of the big problems in terms of long-term reduction of poverty and inequality is the lack of assets held by the majority of the South African population. », highlights Isobel Frye, director of the Social Policy Initiative (SPI) think tank.
« Under apartheid, black communities could hardly own land. The same for small businesses, people were proletarianized and dependent on their salaries. And wages, for those who are employed, and especially for semi- or low-skilled jobs, are very low. So the introduction of a minimum wage is one of the ANC’s successes », she adds.
The social benefit system, among the most developed on the continent, is a lifeline for the poorest: almost 30% of the population benefits from it, not counting the post-Covid aid still distributed.
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