BLSA CEO’s Weekly Newsletter – This year has laid the foundation for growth

The business-government partnership model proved its worth in 2025, delivering measurable progress across electricity, logistics, criminal justice and regulatory reform after years of institutional decline. BLSA’s role evolved beyond advocacy to hands-on capacity building, mobilising private sector expertise to strengthen public institutions, funding critical skills gaps and creating accountability mechanisms for reform implementation. Market confidence in South Africa’s trajectory is returning, reflected in improved credit ratings, rising business sentiment, recovering investment levels and strong international appetite for South African assets. The foundation for higher growth is now in place, but 2026 will test whether reform momentum can be sustained long enough to translate improved infrastructure and institutions into the employment-creating growth the country desperately needs. I said at the beginning of this year that it would be the year to consolidate reforms – electricity reforms that were finally putting load shedding behind us, and reforms to turn around the collapse of the logistics system. That has proved the case. This year has seen huge delivery from the business and government partnership. Particularly on logistics and electricity, the private sector has been galvanised to invest and, in some cases, already operate significant new infrastructure. I think this is the achievement most […]

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