State of the nation: South Africa 2007

Abstract

Assembling academics, journalists, researchers and analysts, the State of the Nation: South Africa 2007 volume will provide much fuel for debate. It offers 23 diverse angles on contemporary South Africa in one compelling, comprehensive and relevant publication.

The politics section focuses on the outcome of the 2006 local government elections and issues of service delivery. The section on the economy examines the rapidly growing social welfare net, the state of our public hospitals and health delivery systems, issues of water and the environment, and heritage and tourism.

The critical issues of violence against women, prison reform, the plight of South Africa's former guerrilla fighters, the vast Zimbabwean exile community in South Africa, South African rugby and the role of the post-apartheid church all come under the spotlight in the section on society.

The volume concludes with an analysis of the growing involvement of South African banks and financial institutions on the African continent, while another chapter looks at our long involvement in the complex search for peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo.