Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read

📸 South Africa enters 2026 on its strongest footing in a decade, says BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso.

South Africa begins 2026 with a rare sense of economic optimism, buoyed by high commodity prices, reliable electricity, stable public finances and lower interest rates, conditions that Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busisiwe Mavuso describes as “the strongest foundation for growth in over a decade.”

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Mavuso said the country is better positioned than at any time in recent years to translate stability into sustained economic expansion, provided government and business remain focused on key reforms.

“We come from an era where in 2023 we had 283 days of load shedding out of 365,” Mavuso said. “You can imagine how debilitating that is for consumer confidence, for investor confidence, for the credibility of the country.”

She noted that reliable electricity has become a cornerstone of renewed confidence, particularly after years in which power shortages undermined growth and scared off potential investors. The progress, she said, is the result of a deliberate reform agenda launched in the aftermath of State Capture, aimed at restructuring failing state-owned entities and opening monopolised sectors to private participation.

“For a long time, we had government monopolies in electricity, transport logistics, water and postal services,” she said. “When you have a dysfunctional government, those monopolies become a problem. That is why Eskom and Transnet collapsed under the weight of poor governance.”

Mavuso said introducing competition into these sectors is already yielding results. “Very soon, South Africans will be able to choose who supplies their electricity. That kind of competition forces efficiency because Eskom will no longer be the only option.”

Beyond domestic reforms, she stressed the importance of positioning South Africa as a credible gateway into the African continent, particularly as global investors search for new growth markets.

“When investors come to South Africa, they are not only interested in our 69 million people,” Mavuso said. “They are interested in accessing the 1.4 billion people on the continent. But if we don’t have energy security, water security, functioning ports and stable cities, it becomes very difficult to sell South Africa as that gateway.”

She warned that while geopolitical tensions including uncertainty in the United States and Europe remain outside South Africa’s control, the country must focus on strengthening its own fundamentals.

“Trump will do what Trump will do. We can’t control that,” she said. “But we can control whether South Africa works.”

Mavuso highlighted unemployment, currently at 43% under the expanded definition, as the country’s greatest Achilles heel. She said sustained growth of above 2% is essential to absorb young jobseekers and unlock the continent’s demographic dividend.

“Africa is the continent of the future,” she said. “But there are 54 countries. We must do the work so that investors choose South Africa.”

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat and Busisiwe Mavuso.