Rand gets much-needed impetus from Ramaphosa’s cautious move to re-ignite economy

LONDON – Credit needs to be awarded where credit is due and South Africa deserves in many aspects. The gradual reopening of the economy shows that there is a plan, a potential strategy on how to get away from this unprecedented moment in history and even a map on how to slowly bring some forms of normality back into the lives to South Africans.

There are at least two different elements for where investors can look upon South Africa in a positive light. One of them is that it actually has a plan to loosen restrictions and many others do not, this is clear around the world.

Secondly and this is the most important reason of them all is because South Africa managed to react relatively early to all of this compared to peers in far more advanced places, and this has helped prevent an extended outbreak and this point and even more importantly preserved human lives.

One should not expect this map to be the holy grail and save the economy from distress, but it brings hope and some light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to restrictions.

On an economic front, there isn’t a bottle that can be rubbed to take all of the pain away and the warnings coming through from leading institutions that the economic damage worldwide will be to levels that have not been seen in one hundred years is jaw-dropping.