Africa-Press – South-Africa. Renowned economist Dawie Roodt said the nature of modern economies, including South Africa’s, ensures that there are good opportunities for people who want to stay in the country.
However, he added that he cannot blame South Africans, particularly younger citizens, who want to leave in search of better opportunities.
In a recent interview with MorningShot, Roodt said someone with the necessary skills and who can ensure their safety can live a good life in South Africa despite the country’s problems.
Roodt explained that the nature of economic activity today is service-oriented. In other words, most economic output and jobs available in modern economies come from the services sector.
Therefore, if someone has the necessary skills, there are many opportunities to live a good life and have a promising career participating in a modern economy.
In addition, due to the nature of the modern economy, it is possible to gain access to the best technologies and skills regardless of where one is based.
He added that it is essential for people staying in South Africa to ensure they can keep themselves safe, because one of the drawbacks to living here is the country’s high crime rate.
“Look how many foreigners come into South Africa and they work in the country. They work for companies all over the world, but they like to stay in South Africa because of the nice things about being here,” he said.
“I’m a South African. I like to be in South Africa. And yes, the potential in South Africa and Africa is absolutely immense.”
Roodt explained that, for those concerned about the country’s lacklustre economy, the issue mainly hampering the economy is politicians.
“Our problem in South Africa is not economics, it’s politics, because of the wrong macroeconomic policies,” he said.
“Their ideology is stuck in the 1920s, and from that, you got the wrong policies, and then you have corruption, and then you have incompetence and no wonder the economy is not growing.”
However, Roodt argued that this also presents interesting opportunities for South Africans wanting to stay, particularly young South Africans.
“I always tell young people, if you are in the pothole fixing business and you go to the Netherlands, you’re going to be out of work because there are no more potholes left to fix. But we’ve got plenty here,” he said.
“So, there are plenty of things that can be fixed here. And all of those are actually business opportunities as well.”
The flipside
Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt
While Roodt is optimistic about the opportunities available to young South Africans in their home country, he said he could not blame those seeking opportunities elsewhere, especially the United States.
“I can’t blame young people going to the United States with all the opportunities. I mean, the Americans are just different,” he said.
“If you compare the US economy with European economies, they are roughly the same size, but the productivity growth in the US is just so much better than in Europe. The culture is so business-oriented. It’s so wealth creation oriented.”
The Allianz Risk Barometer for 2025 showed that one of South Africa’s biggest risks is a significant drain on critical skills.
This is the first year a shortage of skilled workers made the top 10 risks facing South African businesses.
A comprehensive survey conducted by the Inclusive Society Institute in late 2023 found that the number of South Africans considering emigration remains disturbingly high.
The survey found that 8.59% of adult South Africans over 18 indicated that they either agreed or strongly agreed that they were seriously considering emigrating to another country in the next year or so.
Nearly 11% of respondents with higher education qualifications indicated they were seriously considering emigrating in the next year or so, far more than the 9.25% recorded in 2022.
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