Why does South Africa have a mixed economy?

The geography of South Africa is vast scrubland in the interior, the Namib Desert in the northwest, and tropics in the southeast. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. read more

What you then need to be asking is, within this universal mixed economy paradigm, why are some countries more market-economic than others while others tilt more to central planning (the ‘ Varieties of capitalism ’ approach) - in this case, you’re asking about South Africa. read more

Many south Africans are not employed and the government through performing in the economy can assist in employing people especially in sectors which it has a monopoly like Eskom and Transnet. read more

Today, South Africa is a social-market economy at best with a nominally free-market system with limited government intervention in price formation. But the state provides significant services in the area of social security, unemployment benefits and recognition of labour rights through national collective bargaining arrangements. read more