GDP recovery from the COVID-19 crisis

Loading player...
According to BER, Increasingly, a V-shaped global GDP recovery from the COVID-19 crisis seems unlikely. This will weigh on the South African growth outlook, especially as the costs of the strict domestic lockdown mount.
Also, a new report by the international consulting firm Singular estimates that South Africa could take years to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Singular estimates that if Level 4 - which started on 1 May - continued for three weeks, followed by Level 3 for another three weeks, and SA then remains at Level 2 and 1 for the rest of the year - the GDP could shrink by 14% this year compared to 2019. The economy would take six years to recover at least 80% of value lost during lockdown, says Lorenzo Tencati, senior partner at Singular.

The SA Reserve Bank expects a contraction of around 6% this year, while the corporate grouping Business for South Africa expects that the GDP will shrink by between 10% and 16.7%. By contrast, SA's economy shrank by only 1.5%% following the 2008 financial crisis.
19 May 2020 12PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SA Tourism returns to Pre-Pandemic Shine

South Africa welcomed 10.5 million tourists in 2025, surpassing pre‑pandemic levels for the first time. To unpack what this means for the industry, for jobs, and for South Africa’s global competitiveness, we’re joined by Thandiwe Mathibela, GM: Global PR, Communications, and Stakeholder Relations
2 Apr 5PM 12 min

Easter getaway: Five critical insurance checks

For families preparing to travel this weekend, there are a few top actions they should take to ensure their cover is valid. Understanding your obligations is as important as having a policy. We’re joined now by John Manyike, Head of Financial Education at Old Mutual, to unpack the biggest risks…
2 Apr 5PM 8 min

Pivot Point – Ramano on Transforming SA Leadership

For today’s Pivot Point feature, we’re joined by Ms. Tryphosa Ramano for a conversation about leadership, transformation, and the future of South Africa’s financial sector. We celebrate her three‑decade career defined by financial stewardship and a relentless commitment to transformation.
2 Apr 4PM 24 min

SA’s two-pot system sees repeat withdrawals

Since South Africa’s two-pot retirement system went live in September 2024, AlexForbes has now processed and paid more than one million savings-pot withdrawal claims, marking one of the largest operational undertakings in the country’s retirement industry. With more on the story behind the numbers, Vickie Lange, Head of Solutions Enhancement…
2 Apr 4PM 14 min

5 Easter scams to watch out for

RCS says holiday periods create the perfect storm: people are traveling, shopping online, and spending more time on social media—all moments when vigilance naturally drops. The company has identified six major scam types that tend to spike during school holidays, and Audrey Roberts, Customer Operations Executive at RCS, joins us…
2 Apr 4PM 12 min