South Africa: 20 international indicators point to a country in the crapper

The DA yesterday presented a comparative analysis of South Africa's performance on 20 key international indices since 1994 in response to the regime's annual release of its Development Indicators Mid-term Review Report. The DA compiled an overview of all 20 indices, and they stand in stark contrast to the government's development indicators. In other words, bullshit versus the real thing.

For the full document on the DA's key findings, as well as six tables setting out how South Africa performed on these 20 international indices, click here.

The 20 indices ranked countries in six key areas namely governance, economic development, poverty and inequality, education, information technology and global interconnectedness and lastly, the environment.

The indices are a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods and outputs and from them it is possible to draw out trends and make strong inferences on how the ANC government is performing in these six areas, all of which are vital for the economic and social development of the country as well as improving the quality of life all South Africans.

Where possible we analysed these indices over a five year period, since 1994 up to the latest year they were released.

Firstly, South Africa has slipped down the rankings of 16 of the 20 indices The indices which South Africa slipped down most dramatically are:

• Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timms) (down 25 places)
• Global peace Index (24)
• Failed States Index (19)
• The Network Readiness Index (18)

Secondly, South Africa stayed in the same position (45) on one of the indices, namely the Global Competitiveness index between 2005/06 and 2009/10. However, a closer analysis reveals that it moved up nine places on the 2006/07 index only to slip back to 45 by 2009/10.

Thirdly, South Africa moved up three of the 20 indices, all three of these indices measure poverty and inequality namely:

• Global Hunger Index ( moved up16 places)
• Global Gender Gap Index (12)
• Mothers' Index (6)

It is clear that South Africa is backsliding internationally and that:

• the country's economy is becoming less free and open;
• the country is deteriorating when it comes to promoting good, honest and transparent governance and protecting democratic rights and freedoms;
• citizens are not being provided with a proper education and the necessary skills to develop themselves;
• the country is falling behind developed countries when it comes to information technology and;
• the country's natural resources are under threat due to inadequate environmental policies and protection initiatives.

Instead of the ANC government acknowledging South Africa's dismal performance on these indices and recognising that it alludes to a far bigger and highly concerning picture - that it is failing in a number of key areas - it instead chooses a path of denial, obfuscation and even denunciation in some instances.

The main reason for this is that the ANC government has had a long history of believing that its political programme is the only legitimate course around which South Africa's future can be shaped.

Read the full article.