South Africans tasted the fruits of freedom and then corruption snatched them away – podcast

• Mbeki would lead the country for the next nine years, a period of relatively high economic growth which enabled South Africans to begin to taste the fruits of freedom.
• To mark 30 years since South Africa’s post-apartheid transition began, The Conversation Weekly podcast is running a special three-part podcast series, What happened to Nelson Mandela’s South Africa?
• When Mandela took over as president of South Africa in 1994, the country’s economy was emerging from a long recession.
• It’s a no-brainer that you’re going to have to find ways of transferring ownership of that capital.

The Zuma years

• In 2008, Mbeki’s presidency came to an end when the ANC recalled him, paving the way for the ascension of his successor, Jacob Zuma, after the 2009 national and provincial elections.
• Zuma’s years in office unleashed what many see as a significant turning point in South Africa’s democratic history.
• Allegations of state capture and corruption dogged the Zuma presidency, particularly centred around his relationship with three businessmen called the Gupta brothers.

Disclosure statement

Mashupye Maserumule has received funding from the National Research Foundation. He is a member of the National Planning Commission and the South African Association of Public Administration and Management. Michael Sachs coordinates the Public Economy Project, which receives funding from the Gates Foundation. He was a member and employee of the ANC in the 1990s and 2000s, and later on a government official.

Credits

• Special thanks for this series to Gary Oberholzer, Jabulani Sikhakhane, Caroline Southey and Moina Spooner at The Conversation Africa.
• This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany, with production assistance from Katie Flood.
• Stephen Khan is our global executive editor, Alice Mason runs our social media and Soraya Nandy does our transcripts.