The central points of the article are special features of development in the four small countries of South Africa after their political independence in the last third of ХХ century. Positive trends in the growth of their gross domestic product have begun to emerge gradually. Difficulties in economic transition were noted. On the base of different sources are considered hindrances of their economic growth, the negative role of shadow economy. The importance and growing role of exports/imports in strengthening national economies was noted. Along the way, all four countries faced significant economic and social difficulties, the main of which were primarily the lack of financial resources and especially skilled personnel. These causes, connected with the external and internal peculiarities of the economic and social situation in all four countries, as a result of the long colonial past, could not be eliminated in a short time and largely determined the relatively slow pace of economic transformation. In addition, local elites were not always interested in significant economic and inevitably related social transformations. In these contradictory conditions, the role of the state and its economic policy is objectively increased. The article focuses on the economic role of the state. In different versions, the different sequence and degree of implementation of such a process was indicated in all four small countries of South Africa presented in the article. But with all the difficulties inevitable during periods of significant political and economic shifts, all four small South African countries have managed to overcome the prolonged slowdown in economic growth and have achieved higher growth rates.