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You don't have to look back that far. 15 years ago, South Africa was a wealthy and growing country. This week, they have this going on: https://www.cbc.ca/news/
by Kluny 5y ago
You don't have to look back that far. 15 years ago, South Africa was a wealthy and growing country. This week, they have this going on: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/south-africa-looting-1.6102001 https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/south-africa-looting-1.6102001
It's in response to the imprisonment of the former president, who was jailed for failing to appear in court for crimes that he definitely did commit. The looters and arsonists are mad that he's being held accountable.
- FredPret 5y agoThe looters are mad because he’s a prince in a major tribe in South Africa. They are also mad because despite almost three decades of democracy, they are still dirt poor
- eloff 5y agoSouth Africa was doomed by apartheid. Democracy doesn't function if you have an uneducated populace. They were uneducated because of apartheid policies. It will take many generations for that stain to be undone. Leaving the policy in place was untenable for humanitarian and practical reasons. Simply repealing it and giving the vote to everyone was also untenable. It was a lose lose situation and the only good solution was and remains to leave while it's still possible. South Africa is an extreme case of how investment in education (severe underinvestment in this case) is strongly correlated with the future prospects of a nation.
- FredPret 5y agoBut it’s not just down to the level of investment. SA spends quite a lot on education. Granted, it doesn’t get much value for the money, but there’s something else wrong
- eloff 5y agoIts not what it spends now specifically that is haunting it, it's the decades where it didn't educate the majority of its citizens. It's an effect that lags multiple generations.