South Africa Is a Failing State, Says Harvard Economic Report

JOHANNESBURG—Decades of misrule by the African National Congress (ANC) mean state services have essentially collapsed in South Africa, pushing millions of people into poverty and despair, and possibly setting the scene for widespread social unrest in the near future, according to a new report from the Growth Lab at Harvard University. The report, ‘Growth through inclusion in South Africa,’ attempts to explain why South Africa’s economy has consistently failed to grow at the same pace as its peers, with “horrendous social consequences.” According to the October report of the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook, the South African economy grew by just 0.9 percent in 2023 in terms of GDP. Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and Rwanda recorded growth in excess of 6 percent; Kenya’s economy has grown by 5 percent so far this year....