ABSTRACT
In 1999, Nelson Mandela’s term as president ended and he did not seek reelection. He was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki, who was elected to a second five-year term in 2004. Mbeki’s primary goal has been to focus the government’s efforts on improving South Africa’s economic situation. He has worked hard to increase foreign investment in South Africa and has advocated free-market capitalism over socialism, even though that policy has not been popular with poor blacks. Mbeki has contended that economic prosperity must precede any kind of redistribution of property, as advocated by many socialists. Many black South Africans still live in dire poverty, and the nation faces one of the world’s largest
AIDS epidemics. By the end of 2005, about 5.5 million South Africans were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and as many as 1,000 people were dying from AIDS every day. The government has been widely criticized for its slow response to the epidemic.
