The South African social safety net: past, present and future

Abstract

Discriminatory social provision in South Africa originated soon after Union. This differentiation continued in the period before Nationalist rule, but there were also attempts at liberalisation, particularly during the Second World War. Nationalist rule brought with it a reversal of what little gains may have been made. From the early 1970s there was a gradual shift away from apartheid dogma. Future policies will need to eliminate gaps in the social safety net and ensure that adequate entitlements are delivered prudently and cost‐effectively.

Notes

Commerce Academic Support Programme, Department of Economics, University of Cape Town. The author is indebted to Servaas van der Berg and Dudley Horner for their useful comments and suggestions. The usual disclaimer applies.