FEATURE: "South Africa Emerges From the Shadows: Wealth and corporate savvy have turned a young nation into a regional powerhouse," by Jack Ewing, BusinessWeek, 15 December 2008.
With all the depressing accounts of the ANC's corruption and ineptitude and the growing criminality (always the case, post-authoritarian), this is the most positive overview I've come across in recent years.
Which view is true? Why, both--of course. It's all about what you'll tolerate to make your money.
The article starts with, "Name a global economic woe, and chances are [profiled local S.A. business leader] is dealing with it."
So not some rose-tinted account. Plenty of problems, but also plenty of profit.
Anyway, you have to keep it in perspective: compared to the rest of southern Africa, S.A. is fairly stable. Almost $9B invested (FDI) into the region by S.A. companies.
But here's the cooler part: S.A. companies moving into places like Afghanistan and Iran! These guys are simply fearless--true frontier integrators.
Their attitude? "Africa is the next China."
Again, the point is, some countries and some companies are simply comfortable working the bottom of the pyramid--no matter the local security.
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