The post-1994 period in the South African economy is characterised, perhaps most powerfully, by the fact that the economy recorded one of its longest periods of positive economic growth in the country’s history.  Indeed for the period 1994 to 2008 (inclusive of the early recession in 2008) South Africa’s average annual growth in GDP in 2000 prices stood at 3.57% per annum.  One of the more vexing issues within the economic policy terrain in post-apartheid South Africa though, has been the
impact of this consistently positive growth performance on social welfare. In particular, there has been a rich debate within South Africa around the impact of economic growth on poverty in the post-1994 era.