Pre-SONA Considerations for Moving SA onto a Growth Trajectory

The briefing argues that South Africa's economic growth is contingent upon strengthening political institutions, professionalising the public service, and enhancing electoral accountability. It calls for a cohesive foreign policy to restore regional leadership within SADC and the AfCFTA, a decisive plan to combat corruption and gender-based violence, and the effective operationalisation of the Climate Change Act through local government reform and private-public partnerships.

• Economic growth in South Africa is unlikely to improve without strengthening political institutions and deepening political accountability to create an environment for economic dynamism.
• South Africa's regional influence has been weakened by inconsistent foreign policy and inadequate responses to electoral crises in Zimbabwe (2023) and Mozambique (2024).
• Local government faces severe governance and financial challenges, evidenced by the 2022-2023 audit results showing R241.1 billion in unauthorised expenditure and only 34 out of 257 municipalities receiving clean audits.
• The passage of the Climate Change Act in July 2024 is a key step toward a just energy transition, but its success depends on the ability of local governments to implement municipal climate change response plans.
• Despite some progress in reducing contact crime in the second quarter of 2024/2025, public trust in the justice system remains low due to political interference and a lack of high-profile prosecutions following the Zondo Commission.
• To improve economic competitiveness and growth, state-owned enterprises such as Eskom and Transnet require wholesale governance redesign rather than the creation of a 'super-SOE'.

APA

Africa, G. G. (2025). Pre-SONA Considerations for Moving SA onto a Growth Trajectory. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/pre-sona-considerations-for-moving-sa-onto-a-growth-trajectory/

Chicago

Africa, Good Governance. Pre-SONA Considerations for Moving SA onto a Growth Trajectory. Good Governance Africa, 2025. https://gga.org/pre-sona-considerations-for-moving-sa-onto-a-growth-trajectory/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Africa |first1=Good Governance |title=Pre-SONA Considerations for Moving SA onto a Growth Trajectory |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=3 February 2025 |url=https://gga.org/pre-sona-considerations-for-moving-sa-onto-a-growth-trajectory/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{africa2025presona, author = {Africa, Good Governance}, title = {{Pre-SONA Considerations for Moving SA onto a Growth Trajectory}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://gga.org/pre-sona-considerations-for-moving-sa-onto-a-growth-trajectory/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }