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  • March 2016 (Revised September 2021)
  • Case
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South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow?

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:32
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Abstract

Twenty years after the end of Apartheid, South Africa's democracy persists, albeit with problems. A tripartite coalition — the African National Congress, the labor unions, and the Communist Party — still controls the political system but with diminishing economic results and authority. Since 2010, the economy has grown at 1.4% annually, with unemployment at 25%. Several national plans have been initiated but none with success. Most recently, the National Development Plan is the Zuma administration's approach. And then, at the end of 2015, cronyism sunk the stock market and the currency, causing a political crisis. Pravin Gordhan, an experienced bureaucrat, is once again Finance Minister but faces the tradeoff between growth and debt reduction. With the recent resignation of Zuma and the instatement of former deputy president and wealthy businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as President, it was still to be determined if a change in leadership would be enough to improve the country's economic and social situation.

Keywords

Politics; Development; Productivity; Labor; Labor Unions; Infrastructure; Government and Politics; Economic Growth; Performance Productivity; Economy; Social Issues; South Africa

Citation

Vietor, Richard H.K., and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason. "South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow?" Harvard Business School Case 716-069, March 2016. (Revised September 2021.)
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About The Author

Richard H.K. Vietor

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Related Work

    • January 2017
    • Faculty Research

    South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow?

    By: Richard H.K. Vietor
    • March 2016 (Revised September 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow?

    By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason
Related Work
  • South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow? By: Richard H.K. Vietor
  • South Africa: A Fractured Rainbow? By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Haviland Sheldahl-Thomason
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