Opening South Africa

APART from the odd bronze bust of an aged villain, South Africans have rid themselves of most political relics of apartheid. The old order has been peacefully swept aside. Multi-party democracy is working better than almost anyone had expected. Economically, too, the country has made progress. Apartheid had built a siege economy out of government controls and private oligopolies sheltered behind tariff walls. Having resisted early temptations to nationalise everything, the government dismantled many restrictions and is reaping its reward. Growth is rising and another prudent budget is expected on March 12th (see page). All the same, the closed economy of apartheid has yet to be opened up. Two main problems remain. It is time to tackle both.