At the time of SA’s transition to democracy, scenario analyst Clem Sunter analysed the country’s economic prospects in terms of a "high road" or "low road", the former leading to growth and improved prosperity, the latter to economic decline and stagnation. SA finds itself at a similar juncture today, with the nation facing choices that could have an effect on the future economic path of the country. The effect of these choices will play a large role in determining the outlook for the merger and acquisition (M&A) market in the short to medium term. While the M&A market has never returned to the giddy heights that prevailed prior to the 2008 financial crash, the market has recovered to some extent. In various foreign markets, such as the US, there has been a strong resurgence of M&A activity. But domestically, the market has remained essentially flat or, at best, shown modest growth in both the value and number of deals being done. This is reflective to a large extent of the flat Sou...

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