BNC#8: Dawie Roodt warns SA’s “parasitic state” is choking growth and bankrupting taxpayers

At BizNews Conference BNC#8 in Hermanus, Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt delivers a blunt assessment of South Africa’s economy - warning that a bloated state, runaway debt, and failing institutions like Eskom are suffocating growth. While financial markets briefly showed optimism after policy shifts such as a lower inflation target, Roodt argues structural problems remain severe. With civil servant wages consuming a huge share of the economy and government debt racing toward 80% of GDP, he says South Africa risks deeper stagnation unless the state is radically reformed.