[quadrant]

Relatively recent is a "relative" phrase. The seeds of decay in Zimbabwe have been present almost from the beginning. The contempt for property rights and the contempt for the judiciary (even Andrew Young complained about this)have been a feature of Mugabe's rule since the early 1990's.
As to South Africa, we shall see.

[quadrant]

If you wish to read more about the situation in South Africa, I suggest www.africancrisis.org. Of course, this site is maintained by a person with an axe to grind, but the site does have information you won't read in the main-
stream media.