Don't Despair! There's Hope For South Africa

We’ve been shocked by horrifying events and inundated with depressing news recently but experts believe it’s not all doom and gloom.

- Lesego Maja & Richard Van Rensburg

It's enough to make you want to curl up in a ball and hide under the bed.

The economy is down the tubes, unemployment is depressingly high, Eskom is on the verge of collapse and the Zondo Commission keeps uncovering evidence of corruption and state capture.

The ruling party is paralysed by in-fighting, populist politicians are sowing division and there’s ongoing xenophobic and gender violence.

The murder rate is sky high, and everywhere people are struggling to keep their heads above water. The list of problems goes on and on.

But don’t despair – it isn’t all bad news.

YOU canvassed some of the country’s most respected experts and they all agreed: yes, the situation is difficult at the moment and South Africa faces a lot of challenges – but we can get through it.

There’s still hope.

JONATHAN JANSEN

Professor at Stellenbosch University’s faculty of education

“The economy is in trouble but we’ve been here before. It will take some time for the country to recover from the devastation of state capture, but the president is doing all the right things with respect to state-owned enterprises and international investments,” the education guru says.

People often feel negative but there’s been much progress since 1994, he adds. “We have a strong banking sector despite the collapse experienced in this segment in parts of the Western world. We have topclass universities, though not enough of them.

“We have an impressive city infrastructure in our major metropoles, though this has to be expanded into rural economies. We’re still a top tourist destination despite the bad news.”

But what gives him the most hope is the willingness of South Africans to pitch in to make things better.