The recent 0.7% decline in gross domestic product for the second quarter of the year, resulting in South Africa entering a technical recession has, unsurprisingly, left the country reeling.
Without a doubt its effects will be felt for some time, and, unless something drastic is done, the negative effects might last longer - particularly for the most vulnerable members of South African society.
Of concern is that all of this happened during concerted efforts by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration to attract investment in the country to stimulate economic growth.
There is always a variance in the performance of various economic sectors at any given time. Due to various factors, a particular sector may perform well in one quarter and decline in the next.
Important to note is that one of the sectors that provides a window of opportunity in terms of growth is the tourism sector, which, if exploited tactfully, could attract not only tourists, but investment and employment, and improve the living standards of many.
For this to happen we need to look beyond the metropolis - our attention needs to expand to various parts of the countryside that are endowed with potentially beautiful tourist attractions and historical sites.
Without a doubt, this is a sector that needs nurturing, planning and careful “exploitation” for the benefit of economic growth and job creation.
South Africa is home to a vast array of townships and other localities that carry huge volumes of potential to attract tourism and investment. Soweto is known for its historical significance, and tourists flock here.
If we are deliberate in our efforts to take advantage of the consistently growing tourism wave, we need to start decentralising tourism attractions to areas like Sharpeville in the Vaal, Ega- zini in Grahamstown (recently renamed Makhanda) and Brandfort in the Free State, among others.
Paying attention to some of these quick wins could help promote employment in most of our provinces.
However, for this to take place we need to employ both soft and hard approaches to making our local spheres attractive for tourism and investment. In terms of the soft approaches, municipalities need to understand and appreciate the value and importance of branding themselves, starting with simple things like websites, which serve as gateways to their unique offerings.
On the hard approaches, we need to promote good governance, professionalism and visionary leadership. The auditor-general’s report and the analysis done by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs were telling in terms of the state of affairs in most municipalities, a situation that can only be overturned by the same cause that created it - human behaviour.
There is also a need to promote the development of small and medium enterprises as well as to create market access for them.
If we can do these simple things deliberately and purposefully, our efforts would go a long way to ensuring that promoting brand South Africa and attracting investment not only happens at a high or national level, but that we also build from the ground up.
Sango Siviwe Ntsaluba, BCom, BCompt (Hons), CTA, CA(SA), HDip Tax Law, has been an executive chairman of Amabubesi Investments since 2006, and serves as its chief executive. He is a co-founder of SizweNtsalubaGobodo and WZ Capital