CLAIRE BISSEKER: Back on the brink we go
SA is trapped in a vicious cycle of weak growth and mounting debt and its descent is fast becoming irreversible
Like many South Africans I was hugely relieved by President Ramaphosa’s ANC election victory in December 2017. So relieved, in fact, that I barely registered that my brand-new book was now almost certainly dead in the water.
Published two months earlier, On the Brink: SA’s political and fiscal cliffhanger concluded that SA would continue its fiscal slide unless a new government embraced a private sector-led growth model. Like many, I assumed Ramaphosa would achieve this U-turn in time. At the very least, his election meant the country was no longer “on the brink”. Little did I expect that by December 2019 SA’s public finances would be in irreversible decline and I would be writing that SA was back on the brink...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.