Lessons gained from four case studies of operations research for sustainable development in South Africa

South Africa is a developing country with many unique and challenging problems. Many of these challenges can be addressed using Operations Research (OR). While industry and many components of the country’s economy are comparable to that of a developed country, South Africa is the country in the world where inequality between the rich and the poor is the highest. Unemployment is unacceptably high; the official rate is close to 30%. A major component of the population is dependent on social grants, while the remains of its political past will be felt for many years to come. Given this brief background it is surprising that OR applications to address many of the developmental challenges and problems in the country remain limited. In this paper four case studies are briefly presented about OR for sustainable development work performed at the major research institution in the country. It is a historic perspective of work done over the past twenty odd years and endeavours to give a view of the nature of the work done, as well as the hurdles and difficulties encountered in the process. Two major challenges identified in doing this work are the need for enough funding for this work, and sustainability. It is indicated that sustainability, in these cases, refers to ensuring that the beneficiaries of the work will be able to continue, and be self-supporting after completion of the projects.