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Since independence in 1994 South Africa has had its ups and downs in terms of economic growth. 

• Going forward, South Africa is looking to privatize or partially privatize many of the large inefficient state owned enterprises such as the electricity company (Eskom), the armaments company (Denel) and South African Airways. 

• The recently released “Economic transformation, Inclusive Growth and Competitiveness: Towards an Economic Strategy for South Africa” plans to raise economic growth from a stuttering 1% to a more positive 4% growth and to curb the sharply increasing unemployment rate. 

• While the end of apartheid allowed equal rights for all South Africans regardless of race, modern-day South Africa struggles to correct the social inequalities created by decades of apartheid. Despite a rising GDP, indices for poverty, unemployment, income inequality, life expectancy and land ownership have declined due to the increase in population and poor governance.