This chapter examines South Africa’s contemporary social development issues, which directly impact on people’s lives and livelihoods at the micro and household levels. These are, namely, poverty, inequality, unemployment and population growth. The chapter also casts light on the plight of vulnerable groups in the country. It then illustrates how these social development issues are intertwined with the social development prospects of South Africa and further argues that they must be tackled holistically by the state and organs of civil society if social progress is to be attained in the country. The chapter contends that even though a lot of work has been undertaken by both the government and civil society organisations, the majority of South Africans have not been liberated from abject poverty and other social ills. The chapter also examines the population question, which is not always discussed when social development is unpacked in South Africa.