South Africa a developmental state? South Africa has since the dawn of democracy in 1994, and the assumption of power of the African National-led government, struggled to come up with a unique and workable state-led development model that would help it to confront the legacies of apartheid. By 2004, one decade into the post-apartheid era, it began to play with the idea of transforming the Republic into a developmental state, and this debate drew much fascination and interest. Having learnt some tough lessons from its GEAR experience, and public reactions to this contentious trajectory, the Mbeki government approached its second term with confidence, and wasted little time in introducing one of the most important debates in post-apartheid South Africa, the idea that South Africa wished to become a developmental state. Henceforth, the Republic would embark on a new developmental path, one that would seek to openly challenge the Washing