The conclusions of the reports led to a mass disinvestment by the US from many South African companies.

The disinvestment that began in the 1960s set the stage for all the environmental injustices that were to come.

In the 1970s, the worldwide abhorrence of the apartheid regime in South Africa led to one of the most renowned examples of selective disinvestment along ethical lines.

But, as with today s toxic assets, there was no market, and rapid disinvestment would have triggered fire sale prices, depressing all asset values in the economy and resulting in more bank failures.

It is toiling under an intolerable debt burden in a situation exacerbated by an overall trend towards disinvestment, a decline in official development assistance and a steady deterioration in the terms of trade as a result of the continuing fall in commodity prices.

Despite the unsparing efforts of the Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the least developed countries, however, Africa apos s chances for economic recovery appeared to be seriously compromised by the general reduction in official development assistance and a tendency towards disinvestment.