South Africa’s R5 trillion loss: Investec’s Mazwai calls for urgent 3–5% growth to close global gap

South Africa’s sluggish economic growth since 2010 has left its citizens 40% poorer than the global average. Osagyefo Mazwai, investment strategist at Investec Wealth & Investment International told BizNews in an interview that the country’s GDP per capita decoupled from global peers in 2010, with growth averaging just 1% annually compared to 4.5% for emerging markets. This has resulted in a nominal GDP of R7.4 trillion today, versus a potential R11.5 trillion had growth kept pace. The R5 trillion shortfall in government revenue could have reduced national debt and funded critical infrastructure, like Eskom’s R400 billion transmission network expansion. He said key barriers to growth are energy shortages, logistics inefficiencies, crime, and an under-skilled workforce and called for urgent government action to stabilise electricity, improve logistics, reduce crime, and enhance workforce skills and to foster a business-friendly environment with less red tape.