I'm rather ignorant about South Africa, as I'm familiar only with parts of West Africa. Actually, it seems that other flourishing economies are now getting in on the act. The Chinese and Lebanese are making great strides in investment there, which does mean employment and development, but I have no doubt their own interests will come first, and back-handers offered to the corrupt politicians.

I knew a Senegalese family whose main breadwinner worked for the Lebanese in a biscuit factory in Dakar. The conditions were awful and no health protection was even considered. The poor man's lungs were ruined by chlorine; he'd been told to go right inside the huge mixing machines and clean them with bleach. His skin had huge white patches, and he coughed incessantly. He was being poisoned to death for profit to earn a few frCFA a week. Foreign investors exploit pitilessly it would seem.

I also had a very enlightening conversation with two ghastly white South Africans who told me they regretted that they could no longer employ 'Blecks' (that's how they pronounced it!) for about five pounds a week to work on their farm. I said nothing but just listened. One learns a lot that way...