The wreck of South Africa’s ‘lost decade’ looms large in the rear-view mirror as we enter the 2020s. The country’s ‘decade horribilis’ was characterised by load-shedding, which sapped confidence and undermined growth, gratuitous corruption, which ripped at the very fabric of society, and the emergence of a brand of populist politics, which, left unchecked, poses a risk to democracy. In the absence of well-intentioned and decisive leadership from politicians, businesspeople, unionists and citizens, it’s going to be extremely difficult to escape the destructive gravitational pull of the 2010s.