By 
Zimbabwe’s ruling party’s Zanu Pf has been credited for growing the country’s economy faster than their next door neighbor, South Africa’s ruling party’s ANC since it took power first with the rise of the late Nelson Mandela and the rest of the administrations that inherited its neighbors reigns from Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Mohlante, Jacob Zuma and now current President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This was brought to light in Ramaphosa’s claims about South Africa’s economic growth during his 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) which hid the truth about how badly South Africa as a country is really performing.
World Bank’s (WB’s) gross domestic product (GDP) data for South Africa and Zimbabwe confirmed in it’s latest findings why Ramaphosa’s claim is misleading.From 1993 to 2022, South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in US$ terms increased by 275% whilst according to the WB, Between 1993 and 2022, Zimbabwe’s GDP in US$ terms increased by 417%.Evidently it is telling that Zimbabwe’s economic growth was much higher than South Africa’s despite the late President Robert Mugabe-imposed hardships over the last 24 years.
The year 2000, saw Zimbabwe enter a self inflicted devastating economic spiral following the government’s controversial land reform program which reduced the once prosperous Zimbabwe from being Southern Africa’s bread basket to a mere basket case.
Land expropriation of white-owned farms, coupled with involvement in the DRC war from 1998, drained the country’s purse inviting international sanctions.
Zimbabwe inflation skyrocketed, reaching a peak of 231 million percent in 2008, which rendered the Zimbabwean dollar worthless.Necessities especially basics became scarce, leading to widespread poverty and hunger and the economic meltdown has since continued to cast a long shadow over the country’s present and future with both a polarized economy and media resultantly.
In spite of this economic devastation, Zimbabwe’s economic growth has still been much higher than South Africa’s showing just how dismal neighbors must be yet they are Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner.
South Africa’s President Ramaphosa however hid that South Africa’s economy, measured in US$, is now significantly smaller than in 2011 in the SONA he gave few days ago.World Bank’s data for South Africa showed that South Africa’s economy shrunk from $458 billion in 2011 to $405 billion in 2022.
Simultaneously in the same period, the World’s GDP increased by 36% – from $74 trillion in 2011 to $101 trillion in 2022.
Zimbabwe, alongside other Southern African Development Community SADC countries as Botswana, Angola fared better than South Africa’s poor economic growth under ANC rule.
Data from the World Bank, where GDP growth is measured in US dollars was used which shows that all its neighbours, including Zimbabwe, significantly outperformed South Africa since the ANC took the reigns in 1994.
South Africa’s 30-year GDP growth in (US$) compared to its SADC neighbors saw
Angola at 1,756%,
Zambia 892%,
Mozambique 639%,
Botswana at 489%,
Zimbabwe at 417% and
South Africa performing dismally at 275%.
This is in spite of Ramaphosa’s address where he said they have worked hard to undo the damage caused during state capture under former President Jacob Zuma.Ramaphosa has blamed Zuma, his predecessor he allegedly accuses of State capture yet he himself used the same antics to cover up his “phala phala farm scandal,” having used his office to jail Jacob Zuma fifteen months for contempt of court through the Zondo Commission, as well as frustrate and fire all Zuma perceived allies including former Secretary General Ace Magachule and former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkwebane.Ramaphosa in his defense of a badly performing South African economy said the real tragedy of state capture was that it diverted attention and resources from growing the economy and creating jobs.
“Over the past five years, we have worked to revive our economy from a decade of stagnation and protect it from domestic and global shocks,” Ramaphosa said.
“We have made progress. Our economy is today three times larger than it was 30 years ago.”
Known as the buffalo perhaps for the way he dodges bullets including criminality he is behind such as “the Marikana massacre,” a hit he personally ordered against over 37 miners who were murdered in cold blood at the hands of the police on his orders, at face value, growing the economy by 300% sounds impressive and creates the impression that the government has done good work yet, anyone with a basic understanding of economics realises that Ramaphosa employed an elementary political trick to make a dismal situation look better.
Ramaphosa failed to instead use a standard economic measure, like the average annual GDP growth, using an absolute figure which can make most things sound great.
30 years before the ANC took the reins, South Africa’s economy grew by 1,357% in US$ terms as an example which is five times higher than the next 30 years under ANC rule which is far less than Zimbabwe’s economy grew.
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