If history has taught us anything is that sanctions only reinforce authoritarian figures. The common people are the ones who suffer the most from them, not the elites, and the common people then blame their suffering on outside forces.
Honestly .. we didn't have international bands touring .. that's about the worst I noticed growing up ..
You may not have noticed it growing up, but it had a devastating effect on the economy of South Africa - despite natural resources SA is rich in (such as gold) reaching high prices at the same time.