ABSTRACT
The key to understanding which policies regarding South Africa have merit and which do not lies in the complex web of interdependence between South Africa and other countries. In developing nations, economic failure may threaten the tenure of the most powerful military regimes and is arguably the chief cause of political instability on the continent. South Africa is sensitive to decisions made by the overseas lenders but it has policy options to keep this sensitivity from becoming vulnerability. The South Africa Transport Services, which manages the transport infrastructure for the Minister of Transport, has greatly expanded the original network of trunk lines and ports. Southern Africa is important to the US and its allies as a source of strategic minerals. In combination with the Soviet Union it controls 99 percent of the world’s chromium reserves, 98 percent of platinum group metals reserves, 89 percent of manganese reserves and over 60 percent of cobalt reserves.
