The administrative burden facing small, medium and microenterprises (SMMEs) plying their trade in South Africa continues to grow, discouraging many firms from expanding operations and forcing countless others to trade ‘under the radar’ in the informal sector. South Africa excels at bureaucracy and red tape despite the well-documented negative impact of hostile regulatory environments on small business. In fact, it is impossible to find an ‘ease of doing business’ index that features our beautiful country near the sharp edge of the wedge.

Equities that fall into the South Africa Inc basket have made a staggering recovery since the bottom of the pandemic crisis, with banks, retailers and resource shares gaining favour over the likes technology favourites. “Owning South Africa Inc and resources was the place to be since the pandemic lows, which meant that local became lekker again,” said Rehana Khan, portfolio manager for Ninety One Equity Fund. She was commenting during the fund’s recent domestic and global equity outlook presentation.