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South Africa Pushed to the Limit: The Political Economy of Change

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Since 1994, the democratic government in South Africa has worked hard at improving the lives of the black majority, yet close to half the population lives in poverty, jobs are scarce, and the country is more unequal than ever.

For millions, the colour of people's skin still decides their destiny. In his wide-ranging, incisive and provocative analysis, Hein Marais shows that although the legacies of apartheid and colonialism weigh heavy, many of the strategic choices made since the early 1990s have compounded those handicaps. Marais explains why those choices were made, where they went awry, and why South Africa's vaunted formations of the left -- old and new -- have failed to prevent or alter them.

From the real reasons behind President Jacob Zuma's rise and the purging of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, to a devastating critique of the country's continuing AIDS crisis, its economic path and its approach to the rights and entitlements of citizens, South Africa Pushed to the Limit presents a riveting benchmark analysis of the incomplete journey beyond apartheid.

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2011

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Hein Marais

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Eren Buğlalılar.
353 reviews171 followers
September 14, 2015
Adına "barış süreci" dedikleri tasfiyeyi anlamak için muhakkak okunmalı. Bu süreçler neden kanlı oluyor? Neden Afrika'da barış sürecinde ölen insan sayısı, savaş sırasında ölenlerden daha fazla?

Barıştan sonra halk huzur buluyor mu, analar ağlamıyor mu; yoksa hastane kapılarında, çocuk doğururken ya da bir cinayete kurban giderek mi ölüyorlar? Nasıl oluyor da, güya barış getirecek bir süreç sonunda halkın ortalama yaşam süresi 12 yıl azalıyor?

Dehşet içinde okudum. Rejime karşı savaşanların bir kaç yıl içinde düzenle barışıp yolsuzluğa battıklarını, grev yapan işçileri tehdit ettiklerini, bir halkı nasıl aç bıraktıklarını. Siz de okuyun, anlatılan bizim hikayemiz.
Profile Image for Wessel van Rensburg.
31 reviews26 followers
June 25, 2017
Covers the same ground as books like Bond's Elite Transition, but is more nuanced, and better written.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews