South Africa Beyond the Promise

South Africa possesses mineral wealth, sophisticated financial markets and companies capable of competing around the world. Why have those strengths failed to create secure opportunity for so many of its people?In South Africa Beyond the Promise, economist and investor Dr Gil Feiler examines the institutions and decisions that connect national resources with everyday livelihoods. Beginning with the making of an unequal economy, he follows the democratic transition, the choices of successive governments, state capture, the pandemic and the continuing challenge of institutional repair.Company cases bring the argument into focus. Mining exporters reveal the cost of unreliable railways. Eskom and independent power projects show how finance, maintenance and contracts shape electricity supply. Retailers and banks demonstrate the organisational work behind innovation, while failed acquisitions expose the risks within compelling investment stories.The book connects these experiences with ownership, land reform, jobs, skills, public finance and South Africa’s relationships with the wider world. It distinguishes corporate achievement from broad development, and operational improvement from a completed recovery.Written for readers interested in economics, business, investment and public policy, this is an account of how South Africa’s capabilities developed, why their benefits remain uneven, and what could allow more people to participate in lasting prosperity.