South Africa

The current global financial woes have hit property around the world as hard as any other sector. Weak export markets, a sluggish local economy, as well as poor business and consumer sentiment have all hindered the performance of local property activity in many markets, including South Africa.

The natural gas profile of South Africa shows an obvious imbalance. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the country produced 1.27bn cu metres of natural gas in 2011, but consumed more than three times that amount – some 4.5bn cu metres. Imports from Mozambique made up the difference between domestic demand and supply,...

Landlocked, small in size, and highly urbanised, Gauteng lacks the natural assets and scenic beauty to vie with the country’s flagship leisure destinations of Cape Town, Durban and the wildlife safaris of the Kruger National Park. Nonetheless, tourism is viewed as a key enabler towards job creation and also plays a role in exposing the province...

Accounting for 40.6% of South Africa’s manufacturing base, the performance and challenges facing manufacturers in Gauteng reflect those of the country as a whole. The industrial sector is feeling the strain of several factors impeding its growth prospects, including reduced demand due to the global slowdown; squeezed margins due to rising...

In the past decade, South Africa’s roads have come to dominate the land transport sector. However, if the government’s plans come to fruition, the country is set for a rail revival in the next two decades. Government entities concerned with rail travel, including the freight logistics company Transnet Freight Rail and the Passenger Rail Agency...

Despite having the smallest land area of South Africa’s nine provinces at 16,548 sq km, Gauteng is the largest contributor to the national economy, making up onethird of total GDP, at R700bn ($85.33bn) – double the contribution of Kwazulu-Natal (16%) and the Western Cape (14%), the next two largest provinces by GDP.