Our Long Walk in 2025
More of the same, with a few surprises
December was Our Long Walk’s best month yet. Almost 200 new subscribers signed on. To those who have joined, welcome! To those returning for another year of posts, welcome back!
The start of a year provides an opportunity, as always, to reflect on what I write and, more importantly, why I write. I started a blog back in 2012, then on WordPress, and migrated to Substack two-and-a-half years ago, renaming it Our Long Walk after the title of my first book, Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom. Then, as now, the purpose is to contribute to economic debates, in South Africa and elsewhere, about how to build a prosperous society.
As I promised at the start of last year, I tried a few new things in 2024. I introduced an interview series with South African business intellectuals and published ten of those, beginning with André de Ruyter and ending with Adrian Gore. I started a LinkedIn page to share posts on social media and add relevant links. And, in August, I started a podcast, co-hosted by Jonathan Schoots, focused on African development. I could do all of this thanks to the Chair in Economics, History and Policy I hold at Stellenbosch University.
The consequence is that my blog now reaches new audiences: in 2024, my posts were read more than 200,000 times. (This was in addition to the more than 140,000 readers of my columns on News24.) I now have subscribers from 107 countries. Compare that to the readership of an average academic article or, for that matter, to my average class size. I believe academics should do more to bridge the gap between research and public discourse.
My most popular post, by far, was The New Pact, in which I proposed five scenarios for South Africa’s new government three weeks before the elections. My prediction? A Government of National Unity. Here’s what I wrote:
Assuming the ANC gets 43% or less, the most likely outcome, in my opinion, is a Government of National Unity (GNU), a coalition government formed by multiple political parties. There is a historical precedent for this: A GNU was established after the 1994 general elections and was intended to ensure stability during the critical transition from apartheid to democracy. Mandated by the interim constitution, the GNU included the three largest parties: the ANC, NP and IFP. It lasted until 1999.
A 2024 GNU will not be the same as the 1994. For one, the third and fourth largest parties are likely to be excluded from it. The GNU will likely be between the ANC and members of the Multi-Party Charter, plus one or two of those still outside the Charter: DA, IFP, FF+, ActionsSA, ACDP and various other smaller parties. I also expect RiseMzanzi and BOSA, were they to gather significant support, to join in.
I’m not saying the idea for South Africa’s GNU was born in a blog post by a Stellenbosch economic historian. But it might have been... 😉
Others are also seeing the power of blogging. Roy Havemann, who now heads the Impumelelo Economic Growth Lab at the BER, has a Substack. Wandile Sihlobo, an agricultural economist and member of the presidential economic advisory board, posts frequently. Member of Parliament and RiseMzanzi leader Songezo Zibi just started one.
So, what can subscribers expect from Our Long Walk in 2025?
Less is more. I’ve decided to discontinue the interviews with business intellectuals. Although I enjoyed preparing for them and reading the answers, these posts rarely attracted more readers or subscriptions. Ad hoc interviews may continue where appropriate. I will also end my ‘Papers I (mostly) admire’ series and have already begun scaling back guest posts. Both received the lowest reader numbers.
My Monday columns will continue to arrive at 10 am, free for all to read (and share). This year, I hope to add more posts discussing my own research and those of my colleagues and students. For paid subscribers, I plan to provide more analyses of the South African economy, often taking a longer-term, comparative perspective. Thirdly, I hope to publish chapters from two new books I’m writing (or co-writing). This, too, will be exclusive to paid subscribers.
Paid subscribers will also gain early access to all podcast episodes. After the surprising success of the first six episodes, Jonathan and I have lined up an exciting roster of guests for the next few months, all experts on African development. We also have plans for season two, though that depends on finding a sponsor. If you or your company want to collaborate on this, please get in touch. I’m also working on another exciting podcast project, in collaboration with a South African news website, though I will reveal more about those plans later.
I want to reward paid subscribers with exclusive content because these subscriptions make a massive difference. They enable me to subscribe to other creators whose insights enrich my writing, promote my posts to new audiences through social media advertising and fund prizes for an essay-writing competition I’ll launch later this year. If you value this content and can support it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.1 (To provide an extra incentive: The first ten paid subscribers to join with an annual subscription will receive a signed copy of the second edition of Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom, published later this month.)
At the end of last year, South Africa was nominated as one of four contenders for The Economist’s Country of the Year award. That recognition hints at some progress in addressing the malaise of the previous decade. And with South Africa hosting the G20 this year, I hope to report ‘from the ground’ about how the country leverages this global platform to build a more prosperous society for all. May 2025 be another important step in the right direction on our long walk towards economic freedom.
‘Our Long Walk in 2025’ was first published on Our Long Walk. The images were created with Midjourney v6.1.
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