JOHANNESBURG - There is a palpable and renewed sense of optimism, most certainly after Goldman Sachs announced South Africa as 2018’s best emerging market.
The smart money will certainly be keen to listen to South Africa. And, make no mistake, the big money is certainly evident and present here in Davos, in 2018.
Each business leader, politician and media delegate I spoke to wished South Africa “all the best” at the last media briefing in Davos yesterday.
“South Africa deserves the attention it receives. You’ve got a strong lion of a leader,” a journalist from China told me.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, with other ministers, including Jeff Radebe, Ebrahim Patel and Malusi Gigaba, re-echoed the good news message from Davos to the people back home hours before Ramaphosa left a bitter cold but sunny Davos yesterday.
“I am leaving Davos tonight with bags full of investment commitments from our new global partners – investments that will deliver great dividends to our people back home; dividends that will create jobs,” said a very optimistic and proud Ramaphosa. The room felt empty when he left.
Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, reflected on WEF 2018 yesterday in an exclusive meeting with Business Report.
He said: “Feeling bitterly cold, I was reminded of a quote from John Ruskin: ‘Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather’.”
Note: Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, announced earlier this week that “we have $25bn (R296bn) ready for investments in infrastructure”. Indeed, another vote of confidence in team South Africa. A new era was unleashed for South Africa in Davos this week.
- BUSINESS REPORT