Understanding Apartheid
Apartheid was the governing principle utilized by the all-white government of the Republic of South Africa from 1948-1994 that sought to bar all n0n-whites and instituted a policy of separation, apartheid meant separation in Afrikaans, that ensured the suppression of all not-100% white people.
"I was born in South Africa during apartheid, a system of laws that made it illegal for people to mix in South Africa. And this was obviously awkward because I grew up in a mixed family. My mother's a black woman, South African Xhosa woman... and my father's Swiss, from Switzerland."-Trevor Noah
Post Apartheid South Africa
After the death knell of apartheid in 1994 new elections, for the first time with universal, adult, suffrage, elected Nelson Mandela as the first President of the Republic of South Africa. Since then South African politics has been dominated by the African National Congress(ANC), the party of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. All South African presidents have since been, at some point, members of the group surrounding Mandela and the Umkhonto we Sizwe, while the new South Africa flourished under the leadership of Mandela, he is to some extent a Yeltsin-esque figure as especially under the leadership of Jacob Zuma the nation has been tainted by corruption.
"Together we have travelled a long road to be where we are today. This has been a road of struggle against colonial and apartheid oppression."-Thabo Mbeki
South African Economy
The South African economy is almost entirely commdodity dependent and has thus suffered under the econonomic recession. However, it remains relatively stable and is on of the strongest on the continent, it also boasts some of the oldest financial institutions including the Johannesburg Stock Exchange dating back to 1887.
Financial Industry
South Africa boast one of the strongest financial industries on the continent that has continued to see growth even as the rest of the economy has slumped. The Apartheid and post-Apartheid structure of the economy has not changed significantly however, with the changes being mainly that non-whites can now also open accounts, if they meet criteria.
Mineral Extraction
While in post-Apartheid world the role of South Africa in the global commodities market has been drastically reduced it remains a primary producer of platinum, diamonds, and gold. While the post-Apartheid era mining industry is more just, it is still not an industry of equality. Furthermore, the migrant labor system of the apartheid is stilll present in modern South-African mining.
Agriculture
Agriculture is peraps one of the sectors that has seen the most substantial change in the post-Apartheid era. Due to the policy of "homelands" under Apartheid and the 73% land quota reserved for Whites an unequitable agricultural system grew that was, thanks to international sanctions, un profitable and non-competitive. In the post-Apartheid era this has changed substantially as Agriculture has become a growing economic driver of South Africa
Tourism
Tourism has been a substantial economic driver of South Africa for a long period of time. This tourism has mainly been Europeans and Americans(USA, Canada, Mexico...) visiting animal reserves, or major urban areas such as Capetown and Johannesburg. The removal of the anti-non whites policy has leveled the playing field for tourists visting the nation, nonetheless it remains less an exchange of cultures and more focused on safari tourism.
Foreign Investment
Foreign Investment collapsed during the late apartheid years however has since rebounded. While under the early years of apartheid it was still very popular for western governments to invest in the fledgling nation a growing public concious surrounding apartheid led to popular outrage and ultimately a divestment in the nation.