Fabulous reads: Can SA be saved? An in depth look at the country

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Ray Hartley, Greg Mills and Mills Soko, Pan Macmillan, ISBN:  9781770108820 

South Africa is facing an extraordinary ‘polycrisis’. The dimensions of this crisis include an energy collapse; a failing rail network; weak education outcomes; an interrupted water supply; and the effects of decades of endemic corruption that have brought much of government to a halt.

But the country also has incredible assets: a wealth of sought-after minerals; an enviable Constitution that protects rights and advocates social inclusion; an advanced financial and services sector; thriving agricultural and auto industries that compete with the best in the world; a prosecution service that is rapidly rebuilding; and, most of all, strong-willed people determined to make life better through hard work, entrepreneurship and hustling.

The choice is stark: we either build on the positives and take the country forward or we will be overwhelmed by the negatives and end up as another Zimbabwe or Venezuela. We have the people, the policies and the resources. What is missing is the political will to make the difficult choices that will save South Africa from disaster.

This book takes you on a journey that ends with one of three possible future scenarios: the Good, the Bad or the Ugly. Compiled by The Brenthurst Foundation and In Transformation Initiative, and workshopped with high-powered leaders in business and politics, the scenarios have stimulated intense public interest as the country grapples with its mounting problems. The good news is that there is a clear road towards a positive future. It will take courageous leadership and smart thinking to get there, but the ‘Good’ scenario is tantalisingly within grasp.

‘The future is not preordained. The right decisions by citizens, party members and political leaders can water the shoots of constitutionalism and democracy and propel the country onto the road of economic reform and growth.’ – ROELF MEYER

RAY HARTLEY is Research Director of the Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation. GREG MILLS is Director of The Brenthurst Foundation. MILLS SOKO is Professor of International Business and Strategy at the Wits Business School.