Answer to Question 1
With the emergence of the new multiracial government in South Africa, the country has enormous promise but many challenges that are similar to those of the multiracial society of the United States. Some of the controversial issues facing the ANC-led government are very familiar to citizens in the United States. These include:
1 . Desperate poverty: Despite the growth of a small but conspicuous middle class among Black South Africans, poverty rates stand at 40 percent, compared to 45 percent of White South Africans.
2 . Affirmative action: Race-based employment goals and other preference programs have been proposed, yet critics insist that such efforts constitute reverse apartheid.
3 . Medical care: The nation is trying to confront the duality of private care for the affluent (usually Whites) and government-subsidized care (usually for people of color). AIDS has reached devastating levels, with 11 percent of the population having HIV or AIDS as of 2010.
4 . Crime: Although the government-initiated violence under apartheid has ended, the generations of conflict and years of intertribal attacks have created a climate for crime, illegal gun ownership, and disrespect for law enforcement.
5 . School integration: Multiracial schools are replacing the apartheid system, but for some, the change is occurring too fast or not fast enough.
These issues must be addressed with minimal increases in government spending as the government seeks to reverse deficit spending without an increase in taxes that would frighten away needed foreign investment. As difficult as all these challenges are, perhaps the most difficult is land reform. The government has pledged to address the issue of land ownership. Between 1960 and 1990, the government forced Black South Africans from their land and often allowed Whites to settle on it. Beginning in 1994, the government took steps to transfer 30 percent of agricultural land to Black South Africans. Where feasible, the government plans to restore the original inhabitants to their land; where this is not feasible, the government is to make just and equitable compensation.
Answer to Question 2
c