South Africa Has Made Political Reforms; Social, Economic Fixes Must Follow

Posted: June 14th, 2017

By Steven Friedman

Steven Friedman is director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg and Rhodes University. His current research focuses on democratic theory, and over the past decade, he has largely written on the relationship between democracy, social inequality and economic growth. Dr. Friedman has also researched and written widely on the South African transition to democracy, both before and after the elections of 1994. Dr. Friedman recently published Race, Class and Power: Harold Wolpe and the Radical Critique of Apartheid, a study of radical social thought in the fight against apartheid and its implications for contemporary South Africa. He has authored columns for various newspapers including the Weekly Mail, Business Day, and Mail and Guardian. He received his BA in Political Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, and a D. Litt from Rhodes University.

With alleged corruption permeating the South African government and protests spreading across the country for President Jacob Zuma to go, some outside observers view the once up-and-coming African nation as on the road to downfall. The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with the University of Johannesburg political scientist Steven Friedman, who says that is not the case.

The Cipher Brief: Is South Africa unstable or moving toward instability?

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