South Africa after Nelson Mandela.

It is now nine months since the iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela was laid to rest. His passing on, like that of many great leaders, inevitably leaves a void in the fabric of a nation. It is true that South Africa has produced many leaders, among them Steve Biko, Walter Sisulu, and Thabo Mbeki, just to mention a few anti-apartheid struggle leaders. However, it was Mandela whom the international media and the world embraced most.

While self rule was no doubt achieved, the country is still far from realizing an economic freedom for blacks and whites alike. True, the country is still the largest economy in Africa, and has an economy that many African nations can only dream of. Its universities are ranked the top in Africa, with a few competing with the best of the best in the world. It has a sizeable manufacturing industry, and is the leading auto maker in the continent. The gold and platinum mines are some of the largest in the world, and help propel the economy of the country. It is the only African nation to have hosted the

world cup back in 2010. It is now preparing to bid for a much bigger sporting event- The Olympics. It is one of the so called BRICS countries- a loose constellation of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. However, even with all these achievements, the country is still far from achieving many of its goals.

To begin with, it is one of the most unequal societies in the world. Corruption is still high in the country, even as President Jacob Zuma convincingly won a second term in office. Even then, more and more trade unions are denouncing Zuma’s policies, as the wealth from the minerals is not trickling down to the common man on the street. The number of strikes are increasing, as the poor mine workers are demanding more from the profits of platinum and gold deposits that they risk their life mining. As a result of the increase in the number of poor South Africans, South Africans are getting more xenophobic, as they try to guard the little they have, and view outsiders, mostly from the rest of Africa, as coming to spoil the party. A few years ago, many foreigners, mainly Zimbabweans who had fled at the height of the economic turmoil in the country, were murdered by locals who felt their opportunities were being taken away. A few months ago, a video of a policeman whisking away a Nigerian man from a car and stripping him naked went viral, and sparked a diplomatic row with Nigeria.

The ruling party, ANC, still won the recent elections, as many South Africans, despite their protestations, still felt indebted to the party for the anti-apartheid struggle. However, even then, the party’s margin of victory was less than in the previous elections, as more ‘born free’ South Africans reached the voting age, and abstained from voting. This group could be the biggest worry for ANC in future elections. President Zuma has already settled into his second term, but he will no doubt find his plate full, as he fights for the soul of South Africa, and places the ideals that Mandela and others fought so hard for, at the very top of the South African agenda.