With SA unemployment numbers at a 17-year high, many have had to tighten their purse strings more than ever before. But, Ian Williamson, CEO of Old Mutual says that local consumers have surprising spending power. – Melani Nathan
Old Mutual sees resilient South African consumers aiding growth
By Roxanne Henderson, Guy Johnson and Alix Steel
(Bloomberg) – South African consumers are holding up in the face of unemployment at a 17-year high and uncertainty related to the coronavirus, according to the continentâs oldest insurer.
âConsumers have been surprisingly resilient,â Old Mutual Chief Executive Officer Iain Williamson said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday. The company offers a wide array of financial services, including banking and savings products. âOur own front-end of our business is mirroring that kind of a pattern.â
Economic activity appears to be returning to levels seen before a strict five-week lockdown imposed at the end of March shuttered most business, the CEO said. A second Covid-19 wave in South Africa would probably result in less severe containment rules as the government pushes ahead with plans to boost the economy.
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The government is taking the right initial steps to revive the economy, and the crackdown on corruption within the ruling African National Congress is good news, Williamson said., Williamson said.
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âThereâs positive momentum,â he said. âItâs a question of whereâs the tipping point, where people start saying, âactually the return prospects here are attractive enough given the risk.ââ
To push South Africaâs growth beyond Old Mutualâs forecast of 1.5% to 2% by 2022, the country requires deeper structural reforms and clarity around issues such as labor-market flexibility, mineral-extraction rights and telecommunication-spectrum allocation, Williamson said.
