South Africa and the United States have enjoyed a strong bilateral relationship

 FOR THE DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS WORKING GROUP *

Since the end of apartheid and the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa and the United States have enjoyed a strong bilateral relationship. South Africa is the largest non-oil trading partner in Africa for the United States; the largest beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA); one of the main beneficiaries of the PEPFAR program on HIV/AIDS; and a key regional player providing the United States with critical access to other countries in the region. Americans also make up the largest group of tourists to South Africa. Nationally, South Africa receives a "Free" rating from Freedom House for political and civil liberties. It holds representative elections, allows freedom of speech, association, and belief, has a largely free media, and supports an independent judicial system. It also has one of the most sophisticated economies in Africa. Since apartheid was the system established just a quarter of a century ago, South Africa has made remarkable progress on many levels.

However, South Africa, a country of 55 million people, is currently facing major political turmoil. President Jacob Zuma, elected in 2014 for a second five-year term, faces growing demands for his resignation over concerns about corruption in the office of the presidency that some analysts fear has grown to the level of "state capture." ». In March, Zuma fired the respected finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, and replaced him with an ally, Malusi Gigaba, whom many see as part of the corruption problem rather than part of the solution. This move came amid a broader cabinet reshuffle in which 10 ministers and 10 deputy ministers were removed or given new roles that further solidified the strength of the president's allies. The courts have asserted their jurisdiction to force a review of the justification for this cabinet reshuffle. It also resulted in South Africa's investment status being downgraded to sub-investment grade status by two of the world's major credit rating agencies, and the national currency falling by more than 11 per cent. In April, tens of thousands marched in major South African cities seeking Zuma's resignation, and the courts are reviewing 750 alleged cases of corruption within his office. A no-confidence vote is pending before the National Assembly until the courts decide whether the vote should be secret. Since South Africa uses a party list system to elect its representatives, it is highly unlikely that any member of the president's party, the African National Congress (ANC), will vote against him without a secret ballot.

Looking ahead, a succession battle is raging within the ANC as it holds its party congress in December and is expected to nominate its presidential candidate for the 2019 election. Many observers wonder if there will be a split in the party in light of the controversies surrounding President Zuma. In addition, South Africa is experiencing a rise in nationalism in certain segments of society, as well as calls for the redistribution of private property by groups such as opposition leader Julius Malema's 'Economic Freedom Fighters', who are seen by some as who exploit socioeconomic grievances for political gain. Another dissatisfied segment of the population is the "freeborn", those who were born in the post-apartheid period but feel alienated by the ANC, which is an aging organization showing increasingly authoritarian tendencies in its internal government, and believe that the system in general is without benefiting them. This level of dissatisfaction was evidenced by the near-sweep of the municipal elections by opposition parties in August 2016.

One challenge that threatens to damage South Africa's future at a fundamental level is the state of education in the country. Last November, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a quadrennial test of 580,000 students in 57 countries, found that South Africa scored at or near the bottom of its various rankings.