South Africa
OVERVIEW
Fourteen years after the end of apartheid, the South African Government remains committed to upholding the rights of all citizens and continues to invest heavily in its people. South Africa plays a key economic and political role in Africa, but unemployment, HIV/AIDS, crime, and growing public sector corruption undermine public support for the country’s hard-won democracy. The South African Government must ensure that the epic changes made since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994 are consolidated and benefit most citizens. USAID focuses on strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, creating employment, strengthening health systems, and addressing HIV/AIDS. As progress is made, USAID is re-directing or phasing out its long-term programs in education, democracy and governance, and municipal service provision.
PROGRAMS
GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLY
South Africa has the highest prevalence of rape in the world outside of countries experiencing active conflict. Police statistics indicate a rate of 194 rapes per 100,000 females. Children are particularly vulnerable. In 2009 more than 12,000 children were reportedly raped in the Gauteng Province alone. Worse still, these statistics do not even represent the whole picture, since experts estimate that only one in nine victims ever reports sexual violence and abuse to police. Four out of five rapes and sexual assaults in South Africa are perpetrated by someone the victim knows.
To address this problem USAID is helping the South African Government establish rape crisis care centers around the country to assist victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Thuthutuzela (to comfort) Care Centers ensure that victims receive comprehensive medical, psychosocial, and legal assistance in a secure environment. By the end of 2010, 15 new Thuthuzela Care Centers will have been established in targeted areas.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH
South Africa is home to more HIV-positive people than any other country—5.7 million people. Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the United States provides direct support to 646,927 people
receiving antiretroviral treatments. USAID also builds management and technical capacity to address the epidemic, working with the public and private sectors, nongovernmental organizations, and faith-based partners to train and support health care and community-based workers who are helping people with HIV/AIDS.
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS has fueled a concurrent tuberculosis epidemic and a growing incidence of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. With support from USAID, the South African Government provided tuberculosis treatment to more than 97,000 people co-infected with HIV in 2009. USAID also works with South Africa’s Department of Social Development and nongovernmental organizations to provide care for 486,355 orphans and vulnerable children.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
South Africa is the economic leader of the region. However, despite its progress, the economy suffers from significant wealth inequality, high unemployment, and a lack of a skilled workforce among historically disadvantaged populations. To combat these challenges, USAID mirrors the South African Government’s strategy for job creation and equitable growth, focusing on creating employment and income for historically disadvantaged people through the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing, services, and agricultural sectors. USAID provides technical assistance to enhance the competitiveness of historically disadvantaged small businesses and helps them to build commercial trade ties with larger, more established businesses in South Africa and around the world. USAID also expands access to financial services by working closely with banks and other financial service providers and reforming the financial legal and regulatory framework. Finally, USAID works with 12 vocational colleges and the Department of Education to increase the employability of students and create a better match between skills offered by the colleges and those needed by employers.
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