The private sector in South Africa has faced numerous headwinds in recent months – but many have a positive outlook.
South African businesses have faced a challenging start to 2024, but many are expecting the operating environment to improve.
“Delays to the processing of shipping containers meant that one in five firms saw their delivery times lengthen over the latest survey period, marking the second-fastest deterioration in supplier performance in nearly two years.” Looking more positively, the latest survey did show some positives regarding inflation, especially the slower rate of increase in purchase costs for the sixth month in a row and the weakest growth since December 2020.
This meant that selling charges were only raised at a moderate pace in January, with the rise similar to those seen in the preceding two months.
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