South Africa has often captured the world’s attention, and today it does so again for two reasons. On the one hand, South Africa has become a case study for the now common phenomenon of prolonged government failure and capacity decay. On the other hand, it is a case study for how order can emerge organically from the dust of that collapse.

It is impossible to chronicle the full extent of the “de-development” in South Africa under the rule of the African National Congress (ANC). A few key examples must serve.