Against the noble aspiration of becoming a developmental state, South Africa faces serious structural and institutional challenges that prevent it from fully achieving this goal. South Africa’s commitment to becoming a developmental state, as articulated in the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030, now stands at an inflection point. With only four years remaining before the 2030 deadline, the gap between ambition and implementation has widened. South Africa today is characterised by economic stagnation, persistent inequality, collapsing infrastructure, and governance failures that undermine progress toward inclusive growth and social transformation. A developmental state requires a highly skilled, professional, and ethical public service, yet South Africa faces shortages of technical expertise needed to drive economic and industrial growth. Severe skills mismatches further weaken the state’s ability to plan and execute long term infrastructure and industrial projects, which are essential for development.
Human Sciences Research Council (Mon,) studied this question.