on Social and Economic
Development
in South
Africa, about 19 million people (just under half of the population)
lived
below the official poverty line of 353 rand (U.S. $60) per month; 72 per-
cent of the poor lived in rural areas; and although poverty was not con-
fined to one racial group, it was concentrated
among Africans, of whom
6I percent were poor,"? But there was a significant development in the
class structure of South Africa. Under apartheid
the black middle class
was very small and politically impotent,
but during the Mandela presi-
dency, as a result of the transfer of political power, there was a rapid
growth of a new, prosperous,
black elite, composed largely of Africans.
ANC and IFP politicians dominated the central and regional executives and
legislatures and were appointed to senior posts in the bureaucracy. Blacks,
especially Africans,.also benefited from affirmative action in the business
world. Virtually any African, Indian, or Coloured adult who had man-
aged to acquire a decent education was assured' of a well-paid job, to such
an extent that universities had great difficulty recruiting black faculty
members.
By the end of the Mandela presidency, the health of South Africans was
blighted by major setbacks. The government did provide access to health