The South African Development Model: Hitting Against the Limits‪?‬

ABSTRACT The South African development model is based upon fragile foundations and is confronting a looming crisis. At the political level, long term structural factors are eroding the legal and institutional foundations of the constitution, this reflecting, inter alia, declining morality within the ruling African National Congress; its growing resistance to political accountability; the limited prospects for a developmental state given state incapacities; and erosion of support among the party's constituencies. Economically, although growth is likely to remain positive, its benefits will continue to be in part negated by population growth, the persistently high level of unemployment, and the growing financial burden of social security payments. Thirdly, worsening inequality between rich and poor means that South Africa has been able to overcome overall colonial patterns, and the continuing overlap between race, class and power remains explosive. Finally, the South African developmental model is facing ecological crisis as it is reaching the limits of resource intense growth. The way forward to confront a dangerous future is to demand innovative and radical solutions facilitated by genuine political commitment to a more equal society.