Regional development in the Southern African development area

This article draws the conclusion that the present regional development strategy is an improvement on the previous policy of industrial decentralization, both in terms of its stated objectives and its achievements, but that it does not fully come to grips with the development problems of the Southern African development region (SADA). In spite of some very sound objectives on which the strategy is based, it still focuses too much on the development of growth points (or IDPs) and industrial development. Growth centre strategies have, however, only met with limited success, both internationally and in South Africa. A more comprehensive and bottom‐up approach to regional development is called for, but it will not be possible to finalize the regional development policy before clarity is reached on the future political dispensation of South Africa.