SA image disturbs government

Cape Town - Government is becoming concerned about current perceptions of South Africa, said Themba Maseko, government's head spokesperson.

Violent protests over poor delivery, strikes (even an illegal strike by the defence force) and protracted negotiations between government and the taxi industry over the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is making foreign investors look upon South Africa as an "unstable" country in which they cannot invest, Maseko told Sake24.

Wednesday's illegal strike by members of the defence force and their run-in with the police at the country's seat of administration, the Union Buildings, was the final straw, he declared.

"We are fully aware of how this could appear overseas," he said, responding to a question on whether foreigners might have confused the fracas as the start of a coup d'état.

The Cabinet has issued a statement, saying: "The time is quickly approaching when the state cannot be expected to stand by while the laws of the land are being trampled upon, public and private property is being destroyed, and untold damage is being caused to the country's reputation as a stable and emerging democracy."

According to Jeremy Gardiner, a director of Investec Asset Management, South Africa is becoming a "country of strikers" and foreign investors are starting to sit up and take note.

"People have lost a lot of money and are now more cautious about where they will invest, and in what.

"Countries that create an investor-friendly environment will attract funds and the others won't."

Gardiner reckons every country has strikes, but "strikes are not a problem - they must just not get out of hand".

- Sake24.com