South Africa’s Economic Reset: AI Boom, Stablecoins, Inflation Target Shift...
Dawie Roodt breaks down what’s actually happening in the economy, and why South Africa is sitting on growth potential it refuses to unlock.
He covers the global shift in growth driven by AI, the rise of stablecoins (including a new rand stablecoin), why inflation targeting matters for the rand, and why South Africa’s biggest brake on growth is still politics.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• Why economic growth is the single number that changes everything
• The 200-year growth “exception” and why the next wave could be even bigger (AI)
• Why manufactured goods keep getting cheaper — and why services get pricier
• Money is evolving again: stablecoins vs central bank digital currencies
• The rand stablecoin (“ZARU”) and why exchange controls could become irrelevant
• World economy snapshot: US strong, India rising, China weaker than official numbers
• Trump’s world: why AGOA matters and why SA can’t afford to pick fights
• ANC ideology is 100 years old — and its policies still reflect that
• Cadre deployment = incompetence, plus corruption = stagnation
• Why the rand strengthened: lower inflation target + lower volatility
• Why markets improved doesn’t mean the real economy is fixed
• “BEE” vs real empowerment: education, safety, opportunity — not “billionaire empowerment”
• Debt warning: ~R5 trillion, narrow tax base, SARS pressure
• The bottom line: SA can grow 3–5%… but not with the ANC dominating
