ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on administrative reform in South Africa and particularly highlights the changes – both positive and negative – that have taken place in the 1990s. The reform process will be linked to economic development, or the absence thereof. The chapter looks at the numerous socio-economic changes that have been brought about by the transformation of the apartheid state to a democratic regime. However, it must be borne in mind that South Africa is still in the throes of change and transition, i.e. transformation is an ongoing as well as a protracted process. South Africa's productivity compares unfavourably with international standards. This is, of course, a serious impediment to making South Africa globally competitive. South Africa has experienced the good with the bad. Undoubtedly, with the right economic policies South Africa could become a powerhouse of expertise and a reservoir of skills on the African continent.
