{"id":53749,"date":"2026-03-24T10:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=53749"},"modified":"2026-03-24T10:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:50:07","slug":"2026-03-24-sa-pitches-itself-as-africas-gateway-amid-global-market-turbulence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/03\/24\/2026-03-24-sa-pitches-itself-as-africas-gateway-amid-global-market-turbulence\/","title":{"rendered":"SA pitches itself as Africa\u2019s gateway amid global market turbulence \u2013 The Mail &#038; Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-thumbnail \"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"299\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SA-pitches-itself-as-Africas-gateway-amid-global-market-turbulence.jpg?resize=299%2C168&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Images (7) (1)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<p>As South Africa prepares to host the sixth SA Investment Conference, government leaders and economists say global instability, including tension in the Middle East, unexpectedly boost the country\u2019s appeal as a stable investment destination<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">As the country prepares to host the sixth South African Investment Conference (SAIC) next week, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau is upbeat about the potential economic gains, saying the gathering could help inject fresh momentum into the domestic economy.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the government optimism, a leading expert suggests that shifting global geopolitics, particularly tension linked to the Middle East, may unexpectedly tilt investor interest towards South Africa, positioning the country as a relatively stable and attractive destination for capital.<\/p>\n<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa established SAIC in 2018, with a mandate to mobilise domestic and foreign investment at scale, translating that into jobs, growth and opportunities for citizens. The five-year drive has secured R1.56 trillion in pledges, surpassing the original target by 26%.<\/p>\n<p>Tau said more than 31 countries representing international delegates were making their way to the country\u2019s shores.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir growing interest to participate in the sixth South Africa Investment Conference is an illustration that the world sees us as a gateway to Africa \u2014 the ideal place to invest and partner with a developing country that is shaping the world we live in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur message today is clear: South Africa is open and ready \u2014 an investment destination of choice. Across our nine provinces and in multiple sectors of our economy, significant investment has already been mobilised and implemented. We will be showcasing this progress at the conference, province by province, sector by sector.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The minister said the country\u2019s national strategic landscape, underpinned by its growth and inclusion strategy and reform agenda, provided a coherent, compelling framework for investors who were serious about long-term returns in a high-potential emerging market.<\/p>\n<p>History, he said, did not wait for perfect conditions. \u201cThe investments made today, in spite of global uncertainty, in spite of competing pressures, are the ones that will define the South Africa of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Concurring with Tau, Peter Baur, an associate professor of economics at the University of Johannesburg, said wooing more investors into South Africa was \u201cabsolutely possible\u201d\u00a0 despite the political economy, with geopolitics and war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a great deal of global uncertainty within the markets, mostly initiated through the economic and business challenges brought on through the US trade policy,\u201d said Baur. \u201cThe conflict in the Middle East has significantly impacted on the distribution and supply of crude and refined petroleum products, as can be seen on the effect on oil prices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Noting that economies considered robust were taking strain \u201cunder the shifting global power dynamics\u201d, Baur said that placed many global markets under significant pressure, affecting investor confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet, investors continue to seek markets to distribute this risk \u2014 through portfolio performance and investment stability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the relatively low economic growth within the economy, the country offered robust financial market structures and a stable monetary and fiscal policy framework, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a significant potential for investment, including energy, agriculture, manufacturing and mining. From a consumer market perspective, the persistent high unemployment and poverty remain a concern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdditional investment into South Africa would significantly contribute towards stabilising and strengthening the country\u2019s growth potential, especially if it would contribute towards<\/p>\n<p>strengthening the South African trade dynamic,\u201d said Baur.<\/p>\n<p>On SA-US relations, Baur said those were not unique to South Africa. \u201cChallenges between South Africa and the USA are virtually as challenging as those between the rest of the world and America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrade policy initiated by the Trump administration has had a significant impact on<\/p>\n<p>global uncertainty. \u201cIt is during such times that the emerging markets become a risk hedge, particularly driven through such uncertainty. Earlier this month, crude oil stood at about $87 per barrel, almost reaching $100 per barrel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some analysts estimate that the price of oil could climb to more than $100 a barrel in<\/p>\n<p>the near future, significantly affecting global inflation. \u201cThis has further spurred greater uncertainty, which can be measured proportionately to the global rise in gold prices, earlier this month coming close to the $5 300 per ounce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Boitumelo Mosako, the chief executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, echoed the optimism around the upcoming SAIC, describing it as a critical platform to galvanise economic momentum.<\/p>\n<p>She said the gathering would bring together government, business and state-owned entities with concrete opportunities to unlock growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis should create the jobs that are required within our country, drive economic growth and increase gross capital formation,\u201d she said, pointing to infrastructure development across transport, energy, digital systems, water, health and education as central pillars.<\/p>\n<p>Mosako acknowledged the uncertainty posed by global geopolitics, including tension in the Middle East. She said, however, that South Africa\u2019s structural strengths, particularly its deep capital markets, positioned it to weather external shocks. \u201cIt should not deter us from our aspiration of growing this economy and creating jobs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Mosako said the key question was how global instability might affect the pace and scale of infrastructure roll-out and investment flows. South Africa\u2019s coordinated approach \u2014 led by the president, cabinet and broader stakeholders \u2014 sent a strong signal of policy commitment to investors, she added.<\/p>\n<p>She highlighted the country\u2019s strategic role in regional integration, with reforms in energy, rail and water infrastructure opening significant investment opportunities. \u201cThis puts us in a much stronger position, extending beyond the region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>However, global investor sentiment remains cautious. According to a study by Erik R Peterson and Terry Toland of the Kearney Global Business Policy Council, emerging markets have slipped slightly in attractiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 2025 Kearney FDI Confidence Index shows only six emerging markets in the main rankings, two fewer than last year, with Poland and Argentina dropping out of the top 25.<\/p>\n<p>China tops the list, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India and Mexico. South Africa sits just outside the main index, alongside Poland and Argentina.<\/p>\n<p>The report flags rising commodity prices and escalating geopolitical tension as key risks shaping investor behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirty-eight percent of surveyed investors see a rise in commodity prices as the most likely development over the next year, while 35% cite increasing geopolitical tension, up seven percentage points from last year,\u201d the authors noted, underscoring growing concern about supply chain disruptions and global uncertainty.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#pitches #Africas #gateway #global #market #turbulence #Mail #Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As South Africa prepares to host the sixth SA Investment Conference, government leaders and economists say global instability, including tension&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53751,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53749\/revisions\/53751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}