Most of us know someone who has emigrated, or is about to emigrate. After several hard years for our nation, it can sometimes seem like the bad is overwhelming. And, the South African media often seem to talk about nothing except the next new \u2018sure disaster\u2019.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not all bad. There are some great things about being in South Africa right now! We\u2019re not talking about the weather. Wherever you are, looking on the sunny side helps, whether you\u2019re waiting for your green card or maybe sitting around the braai talking about the latest Moody\u2019s rating.<\/p>\n
Here, courtesy of Business Insider\u2019s Helena Wasserman, are five reasons to be stoked you\u2019re a \u2018Saffer\u2019:<\/p>\n
1. Visitors are liking the vibe<\/strong><\/p>\n South Africa relies heavily on tourism \u2013 which is why Statistics SA\u2019s latest news was so great. After the bumper Easter travel season, Stats SA revealed the latest tourism figures ending after April. According to them, over 217 000 overseas tourists arrived in April this year \u2013 that\u2019s a whopping 11.9% more than in April 2018. In terms of who our favourite visitors are, Europe still reigns supreme, with 25% more UK tourists and over 30% more Germans. Nations of good taste!<\/p>\n 2. Exports are also excellent<\/strong><\/p>\n If we\u2019re dependent on people coming in, we\u2019re almost as dependent on selling produce outside. According to Wasserman, who quotes the most recent Sars figures: \u201cExports jumped more than 8% to R112 billion\u201d and \u201cSouth Africa recorded a R1.74 billion trade surplus in May. This means we exported more than we imported.\u201d This is huge, for a country with a bias towards foreign goods.<\/p>\n 3. No rate cuts means easier spending<\/strong><\/p>\n Two snippets of good news here: firstly, the South African Reserve Bank\u2019s Monetary Policy Committee issued a substantial rate cut of 25 basis points last month. An interest rate cut effectively means it\u2019s easier for us to spend and borrow from institutions \u2013 our rands aren\u2019t more expensive than they were before but rather less. This makes it slightly easier for us to spend and support our local businesses, which indeed is what a rate cut is designed to encourage.<\/p>\n Then, on 18 August, at their next meeting, the tide seemed neap enough for interest rates to remain unchanged for the rest of the year. This means that not only is it effectively cheaper to buy and borrow than before but it is unlikely to increase all year.<\/p>\n 4. Best of all? The economy is perking up<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, you read that right. A number of industries seem to be having a much happier and more productive season than many lately, with the numbers to match. According to Wasserman, \u201cManufacturing output increased by 4.6% in April 2019 compared with April 2018, with vehicle sector manufacturing up almost 19%. Wholesale trade sales rose by 5.5% in April 2019 (compared with April 2018) while retail trade sales rose 2.4%. Retail sales of clothing and footwear jumped more than 6%, and of household furniture, appliances and equipment by almost 5%.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. About those Moody\u2019s ratings\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n This will give you something to say to those naysayers around the braai. According to Wasserman, more and more fund managers are of the opinion that Moody\u2019s won\u2019t \u2018junk\u2019 SA after all. Last month, only a quarter of the international fund managers surveyed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch believed that we would not be kicked out of the index. This has now increased to 50% – this means that half of fund managers now expect us to keep our investment grade rating from Moody\u2019s. On top of that, the survey also shows that for the first time in six months, managers see our bonds as ‘undervalued’,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n So, perhaps South Africa is actually alive with possibility, after all? It just goes to show, sometimes it pays (financially) to look on the bright side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most of us know someone who has emigrated, or is about to emigrate. After several hard years for our nation, it can sometimes seem like the bad is overwhelming. And, the South African media often seem to talk about nothing except the next new \u2018sure disaster\u2019. But it\u2019s not all bad. There are some great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,27],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-blog","8":"category-life","10":"post-with-thumbnail","11":"post-with-thumbnail-large"},"yoast_head":"\n