Carte Blanche with Perry

Until recently, South Africa lay claim to the title of Africa`s biggest economy, being the beacon of its former President Thabo Mbeki`s vision of an African renaissance. Two decades post independence, the rainbow nation is at a precipice. Unemployment, particularly amongst the youths is high, service delivery has been a major bone of contention, and labour unrests in the mining sector; an integral component of its economy have been prevalent. As the national elections draw close, perhaps the most seminal issue at hand is that of ownership of resources and transformation of the economy to include the previously disenfranchised South Africans. The issue of resource ownership has never been more relevant as it is today to the ordinary South African. It is apparent that the means of production have remained in the hands of the minority, and the country is a reflection of the chasm between those living in plenty, and those of barely getting by. Contrasts between Alexandra township d...

For years South Africa has asserted itself as Africa`s most dominant economy, frequently being touted as the world`s gateway into Africa.  However, its anaemic growth in recent times has seen other African countries rise to the pinnacle of Africa`s economic landscape. At a time when six of the world`s ten fastest growing economies in the last decade have been in Africa averaging around 7 percent GDP growth, South Africa has only managed a miserly GDP growth rate of around 3.9 percent over the same comparable period. The growing inequalities between the rich and the poor, labour unrests, service delivery protests and corruption among a range of other ills have hampered South Africa`s progress.  Enter Nigeria, Africa`s most populous country with over 160 million people and whose GDP has grown at an average of 6 percent since 2006 according to the World Bank. Nigeria`s rapid growth over the years appears to have attracted noteworthy foreign investments as witnessed by g...