Economy stagnant but open society forces growth

The stagnant state of the country’s economy since 2013 remained unchanged in 2016 with a population growth of 1,65% (including immigration influx) and estimated real growth of only 0,5%.
JP Landman, political and trend analyst at a meeting of the Limpopo branch of the South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) at Pietersburg Club on Friday said the stagnation should be attributed to realities such as the commodity collapse, the electricity problem, drought, uncertain internal policies, the shambles at state owned entities (SOEs), the lack of confidence in the ruling party and the volatility of the 10-year government bond.
He said however the one trend that has been confirmed abundantly since 2013 is the much more open society that South Africa has become.
“There is the ferreting out by journalists, court challenges, the work of the competition authorities, the decisions of regulators and the result is more and more contestation,” he said and added in the process new rules were written and new practices developed, opening the way to society learning new rules of behaviour and unlearning old ones. “It is a tedious and a slow process, but it is happening and is a healthy development,” he said.
“We should be in love with the open society forces because it enabled learning and unlearning to take place, it put checks and balances in place that force a society to change course and move in a new direction, it activated the ability to respond to challenges (electricity) and it helped develop the ‘habits of the heart’ on how a society should run.
He concluded that the future of the country will be determined by two dominant factors namely, the state of the economy with a reasonable growth rate above the population rate and the forces of an open society where new voices and energy flourish.

Story: WILLIE ESTERHUYSEN
>>willie.e@mwebbiz.co.za
Photos: ELNA ESTERHUYSEN
>>observer.elna@gmail.com

Featured photo: Trend analyst and guest speaker JP Landman, Sapoa Limpopo Chairperson, Paul Altenroxel, Polokwane Executive Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng and Sapoa CEO Neil Gopal.