Unfortunately analysis like this falls on deaf ears for idealogical reasons. The South African government is an alliance whose power centre lies increasingly with COSATU, an umbrella group of South African trade unions with a preference for distinctly left-of-centre labour policies. Unsurprisingly this group has no desire to see the labour market made more flexible. Indeed, suggestions in this vain are usually met with howls of derision and accusations of capitalist exploitation.

These are the conditions under which we suffer.

The new south africa is obsessed with rights, since those creating it were all to aware of having lacked rights in the old one. This has good aspects, like the fact that gay marriage simply required the courts to read the constitution, and notice that it forbids discrimination.

But for the most part leads to a mentality that good things must fall from the sky when because the constitution decrees it so. The people will all have water, education, phones, jobs, because they are their rights. Unfortunately reality doesn't listen.

And the politicians show few signs of learning, it's all about "service delivery" as if the government controls a big spigot supplying these things, and just neads to do a better job handing them around.

Well I did for one, didn't just think it would happen, I knew it would happen. Kinda like the sun rising each day.

Karol is right, Don. There is a way out for the South African government, but, it won't take it any more than our own government will take the logical rational way out of our own woes.

We, the USA and S. Africa, suffer so many parallels problems, a large uneducated portion of population is just one.

The ability to hire and fire at the discretion of the people who actually own and manage a business is certainly one.

A moribund beauracracy for another that has hiring and firing woes even worse than private business.

Really really stupid laws such as the ADA, which are not only stupid on the face of it but more so in the ability boradly interpret the ADA to create diseases and rights never dreamed of by intelligent ancestors.

Could go on and on, but I'll close by saying S. Africa was one of the highlights of my many travels. I was very sad to see it attacked and destroyed so ably by the American left.