This week four American presidents traveled to South Africa to pay their final respects to Nelson Mandela.
In his remarks Tuesday, President Obama likened Mandela to Abraham Lincoln as a leader who managed to “hold his country together when it threatened to break apart.” That is certainly true. But there is a painful corollary truth which the post-Mandela South Africa has yet to confront: its leaders have squandered many of the initial gains made after free elections, with terrible consequences for the people.
In the days of apartheid, the government managed to achieve a First World way of life that was largely limited to its white minority and enforced through various discriminatory measures to prevent blacks from competing with whites. After winning election, Mandela avoided the nationalizations that crippled many other African countries, embraced spending restraint and sought foreign investment.
Though income and opportunity have grown since, South Africa today is no South Korea. In this resource-rich nation, unemployment hovers at an unconscionable 25 percent. Too many educated South Africans have concluded their best option is to emigrate. Meanwhile, corruption flourishes and the economy languishes.
The people also suffer from violent crime. South Africa has one of the highest rates of rape in the world, as well as a high murder rate.
While the African National Congress continues to win elections, it has squandered much of its inheritance. For many — if not most — citizens, the reality of South Africa is far from the dream. As the country enters its post-Mandela future, no one ought to let its leaders settle for less.