will be freed from the yoke of apartheid. Recent developments, such as the unbanning of political organizations and the freeing of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, point in this direction. However, there are still obstacles that impede the start of negotiations. We therefore call upon the South African authorities to remove these impediments so that negotiations can start. We keenly await the democratization of South Africa and its entry into the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) and other international bodies. The SADCC region, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, has been experiencing a deepening economic crisis for most of the 1980s. Low agricultural production and JVM/15 A/S-18/PV. 5 62 (Mr. Moqae, Botswana) productivity against high population growth rates; declining levels and low efficiency of investment, with industrial capacity utilization as low as 25 per cent in manv casesJ poor export performance; the debt burden; serious foreign exchange shortages; serious institutional and policy weaknesses and failures; deteriorating social services and quality of life, and serious environmental degradation have characterized the crisis. The hostile economic environment, South African destabilization and military aggression, and natural calamities -such as drought -have compounded the situation. As a result, most SADCC economies experienced negative growth in gross domestic product per capita for most of the decade. Furthermore, new investments, both local and foreign, virtually dried up and official development assistance in real terms is the lowest in two decades. This poor performance has led to very serious socio-economic problems. There is an alarming and growing unemployment problem, in particular among the young. The population of the urban areas is continuing to swell as the young are drifting from the rural areas seeking non-existent employment opportunities in the cities and towns. All these developments spell serious danger for the social and political stability of our 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the economic crisis in Southern Africa, including its impact on the region's development, employment, and social stability. It also touches on the need for democratization and negotiations in South Africa, which is likely related to the economic context. The text does not explicitly mention natural resources, environment, agriculture, forestry, fishing, industry, transport, communication, health, education, or culture, but rather discusses the broader economic and social implications of the crisis.

**Category**
Economic development, Employment