The Big Picture

Vincent Boland: Thirty years on, South Africa has failed to deliver on Mandela’s promise of a better land

A takeover bid for the country’s one-time mining giant is a sign of how the optimism of three decades ago has disintegrated

ANC leader Nelson Mandela swept to office on a wave of hope in late April 1994 in South Africa’s first election after the ending of apartheid. Picture: Getty

Last month marked the 30th anniversary of two of the most resonant events of the post-Cold War era, and both of them took place in Africa. The events are not related, but their juxtaposition adds to the resonance of each, and perhaps helps to explain the prevalence of two radically different narratives about Africa and its future – despair and hope.

One was the genocide in Rwanda, which began on 7 April 1994. For the next ...