Where will South Africa be in the year 2044, which will be our 50th anniversary as a free and democratic country? With two of our neighbours, Botswana and Lesotho, hitting that mark in recent weeks, it's something I've been considering, given the state of crisis that we live in. Britain's age of empire started its rapid decline at the end of World War 2 and in 1966 our neighbours broke free. It's rather fitting that their independence came just a couple of months after England's greatest sporting achievement, winning the Fifa World Cup. A feat unlikely to be achieved again...I may regret having said that.In the streets of Maseru and the sparsely populated ones of Gaborone there was much to be celebrated in the achievements of two proud peoples.By and large, both are well-established democracies. I qualify that because Maseru, a city I have a deep affinity with, having lived there more than a decade ago, has seen its fair share of running battles between different battalions. I hope my gut feeling is wrong, but one feels the constitutional monarch will see more attempted coups.story_article_left1Botswana, so often held up as a symbol of a functioning democracy on the "dark" continent, has a Khama dynasty haunting it, possibly for years to come. Whispers speak of a third president from the bloodline of the founding father.But I think "each unto their own" is the most pertinent phrase here. So, setting aside the political theatre, what one can say is that democratic principles have held sway over the past 50 years.Politically, I am certain South Africa will follow a similar path. Sure, we'll struggle through a bad presidency or two as we currently are doing. But in some form we'll emerge, largely a democratic state.Institutions will continue to be tested, the norm in a country wherein lies a behemoth of a liberation movement feeling the sobering effect of heightened political contest.On economics, I hope South Africa learns one lesson from our immediate neighbours. That is to take heed of any long-term economic plans that involve patching up the structural fault lines of the economy. By their very nature, the fruits are decades away, which I understand isn't good for a re-election campaign.Because of its geography and sheer size, one can't help but be sympathetic to Lesotho. There are only two other countries in the world - the Republic of San Marino and the Vatican - that are completely surrounded by one other country.The Vatican has religion as a calling card; Lesotho doesn't have anything as mesmerising.story_article_right2As such, Lesotho's fate is tied to that of South Africa. It's an economy in need of a better solution than that offered by the world's oldest customs union, Sacu. Academics in that country have raised these flags and laid plans to escape the trap.Botswana was blessed with diamonds, which were luckily discovered just after independence. And, even better luck, the founding fathers did much with the bounty for the good of the country.From 1966 to the end of the 20th century, the economy reported the highest average growth rates in the world.With its diamond wealth, much was achieved, except for perhaps the most important thing, diversification. It's a battle lost. Dreams of becoming "Africa's Switzerland" have not come to fruition for all the spend on human capital.Should South Africa's political theatre remain focused on the short term and personal gain, we'll be sitting in 2044 looking to revive plans of today. By then, of course, the world would have long left us behind.E-mail derbyr@sundaytimes.co.za or find him on Twitter @ronderby..