South Africa

South Africa’s retail sector is marked by a mixed system featuring elements of both traditional and modern retailing. In recent years rising retail spending has been driven by a growing middle class and increased access to finance. According to data from Statistics South Africa, retail was the fastest-growing segment of GDP in the third quarter of 2011, and added 48,000 jobs in the fourth quarter...

South African media is a vibrant, developed and thriving industry. Radio is the country’s most accessible media, with 88.1% reach among the adult population, and television reaches some 83.9%. Print media captures a smaller portion of the population, with an estimated 64.9% of the population accessing newspapers and/or magazines. The sector shares many of the challenges currently experienced by...

Agriculture’s contribution to the South African economy has waned in recent years, however the industry is well-placed to address some of the more fundamental needs of the country’s growth trajectory and offers significant potential in a number of key cash crops and export commodities, as well as niche opportunities in segments such as organic produce and wine. While the government looks to...

While the FIFA event was seen as an overwhelming success by organisers and the domestic tourism body, the country has, thus far, been unable to replicate or sustain the level of visitors the international football tournament brought to the country. However, figures began to head upwards in the last quarter of 2011 and certain markets, such as the African and Asian visitor segments, offer hope for...

The telecommunications sector in South Africa is among the continent’s most developed. It tends toward encouraging data-heavy services by shifting from voice to data services, increasing smartphone usage, expanding localised content, and adding both private and public sector capacities to lay the groundwork for fourth-generation (4G) and long-term evolution (LTE) networks. As of the third quarter...

South Africa’s real estate sector felt the full force of the global economic crisis in 2008. The sector has been hit by a lack of demand stemming from weakened consumer confidence, rising inflation and obstacles to credit growth. However, the market is benefitting from the growth in urban middle-class consumers, a fact reflected in the emerging property supply and prices. South Africa’s young,...