MANAGING HARD TIMES
The squeeze is on, but taking charge will help ease the pressure
South African businesses will need to become more competitive and get back to basics, writes Yvonne Fontyn
So foul and fair a day I have not seen", said Shakespeare’s tormented Macbeth after winning a bloody battle. It seems SA faces a similar year. Foul because the ANC leadership contest is likely to have unsettling ripple effects; the ratings agencies may refuse to cut us any slack, as they did in 2016; and little is bound to change in the urgent, systemic problems of unemployment and education. However, the experts also have some predictions to cheer us up. Economic growth should pick up in the first half of the year; interest rates are likely to remain steady; the rand is expected to retain its recent improvement; the attacks on the ANC brand may bring about a more cohesive and effective governing party; and a less patient and more vocal civil society may steer events in a more positive direction. These changes will take time to filter through, though. Philip Faure, global head: wealth and investment at Standard Bank, says 2017 "will be a tough year for all of us. "But a positive pol...
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