Few countries in transition have managed to get a grip on public finances as well as SA after 1994. Now the nation’s credibility and democratic project lies in tatters as we teeter on the brink of a political and fiscal cliff. Business confidence has evaporated, causing SA to be downgraded to junk status, crushing growth potential and pushing us towards a debt trap. How did we land in this mess, and can we pull back from the brink? Award-winning journalist Claire Bisseker unpacks the crisis.