The formal economies of many countries in the SADC region have developed only a small segment of the population, leaving the majority to subsist in the informal economy. Predictions that the informal economy would disappear once sufficient levels of growth are reached have proven to be false. The informal sector is a permanent feature of the region’s economies; its continued growth is aided by Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPS), Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, NEPAD and GEAR (in the case of South Africa).
