Patterns of territorial development and inequality from South Africa’s periphery: evidence from the Free State Province

The apartheid state had a direct impact on both territorial development and inequality in South Africa. The demise of apartheid coincided with economic globalisation and the establishment of the post-apartheid state, the intention of the latter being to promote development and address inequality. This paper assesses the successes and the failures in this regard over the past two decades. Its point of departure is a contextualisation of post-apartheid regional policies within the international context and in the midst of global economic change. The paper will then assess some of the key trends in development and inequality in the Free State Province over the past two decades. Consideration will be given to patterns of GDP growth and decline, sectoral growth and decline, job creation and decline, grant distribution, migration trends and a range of development indicators (HDI, the Gini-coefficient and people living in poverty) across the province (subregional differences/similarities will be mapped). The trends generally suggest that though fewer people are living in poverty and that development has increased, inequality has increased and there is an inability to participate in the mainstream economy. Essentially, we ask how peripheral areas in the developing world can address their vulnerability in the global village.