From Colonial to Apartheid Transition: Social and Economic Impact of South Africa's Marginalised Population through the Lens of the COVID-19 Pandemic

From an African perspective, dire reconstruction reforms have taken centre stage after the colonial era because of the immense development backlogs brought to the fore by erstwhile European colonisers. By narrowing this down to South Africa, Post-1994, the democratic African National Congress-led government has tried to stabilise the country through state-driven economic growth blueprints. However, with an ever-increasing population and inequality, the vast majority of individuals, particularly those that are marginalised, have suffered immensely as often shown from statistical publications from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). The recent yet unforeseen coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic first witnessed in Wuhan, China has made its presence felt all around the world. In South Africa, it has further shed light on the massive development challenges endured by millions of South Africans since the end of apartheid. This article pondered the prevailing developmental challenges experienced after the colonial and apartheid era. It also investigated the destructive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impact on South Africa's marginalised population post-1994. This was embarked upon particularly from an African and South Africa perspective.