Share

Fitch likely to keep SA's sovereign credit rating unchanged - economist

Global ratings agency Fitch is likely to keep South Africa's credit rating unchanged at BB+ with a stable outlook when they announce its review later this week, an economist at Old Mutual Investment has said.

According to Johann Els, Head of Economic Research at Old Mutual Investment, the economy is likely to recovery from a 2.2 % contraction seen in the first quarter, boosted by factors such as improved budget position, a better outlook for state-owned enterprises and a stronger rand compared to 2017.

"South Africa will still see a recovery and, as such, Fitch is likely to keep their rating unchanged at BB+ with a stable outlook, when they announce their review expected later this week," said Els in a report.

Fitch first downgraded South Africa’s rating to "BB+" - commonly known as "junk" in April 2017.

READ: S&P keeps SA sovereign credit rating unchanged

Last month, Standard & Poor’s affirmed the country’s sovereign rating at "BB+" rating and kept the foreign-currency debt unchanged at "BB", the second grade of junk status.

"While the recent first quarter GDP numbers came in negative, economic activity usually recovers after such a weak period, especially if an economy is in the uptrend that I believe we’re currently in," Els added.

Els stated that improved the consumer and business confidence and the Reserve Bank’s leading indicator index also pointed to a continued economic recovery.

"Even if we don’t see the 2%+ GDP growth that we previously expected, 1.8% is better than the 1.3% we saw in 2017," he said.

The recent decline in GDP growth came on the back of a wave of national optimism that came with the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa as president in February.

Need for reforms

Ramaphosa has since announced appointed team of economic envoys tasked with attracting a target of $100bn investment over the next five years.

"Perhaps ‘Ramaphoria’ has been blown out of proportion as the real economic impact of South Africa’s new leadership will take some time to reflect in the numbers," explained Els.

"We need to build on this through reforms and programmes such as the president’s investment drive."

The IMF this week called for "bold reforms" to boost growth above the 2% per annum level, saying the country was unlikely to exceed 2% GDP growth over the medium term.

READ: SA needs 'bold reforms' to boost growth - IMF

The IMF team proposed a "bold reform agenda", including boosting the benefits of social grants by cutting down on intermediation costs, clarifying mining regulation to foster investment, and allocating broadband spectrum to the private sector to increase competition.

Mobile phone operators have over the years voiced concern over the slow process of releases broadband spectrum.

In an open letter to political leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, the CEO of Telkom, Sipho Maseko, challenged the government to "release spectrum to unlock value and set the country on a trajectory to participate on the fourth industrial revolution."

"We must urgently discuss the digital economy, to that we can develop and distribute available resources to unlock benefits for all South Africans," said Maseko in a letter published on Sunday.

"The digital economy is now a major contributor to the gross domestic products of advances economies," he said.

Digital spectrum allows mobile operators to connect more people and roll out faster internet connectivity.

* Sign up to Fin24's top news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO FIN24 NEWSLETTER

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.98
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.55
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.7%
Platinum
894.10
-0.3%
Palladium
996.00
-0.6%
Gold
2,193.32
-0.1%
Silver
24.41
-1.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,889
+0.3%
All Share
74,074
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,132
+0.9%
Industrial 25
103,554
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,492
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders