Page 27 - SA Chamber UK MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - March 2024

5. The neutrality flag, whereby the country tries to steer a middle path in order to
keep its relationships with its main trading partners intact, is under considerable

strain. The reason is that the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel
at The International Court of Justice has been applauded and condemned by the
international community, depending on which side each nation and individual citizen

is on. However, if a ceasefire takes place sooner than anticipated and Gaza residents
have improved access to humanitarian aid, we may avoid serious repercussions to
our trading status.

The two mainframe South African scenarios that flow out of these flags remain “People’s

Economy” and “Cautionary Tale”. Whereas we were at a political crossroads in the early
1990s when the leadership flag comprising Mandela and De Klerk handed us a peaceful
transition to a new Constitution and fully democratic elections, we are now at the

economic crossroads for South Africa. Either we build a new economy in which everyone
can participate in one way or another as contained in the People’s Economy scenario; or
the Cautionary Tale scenario beckons where we are in the dangerous situation of losing
all our political gains as internal conflict turns this country into a Failed State.

Hence, the kind of leadership necessary to steer this country towards a successful inclusive
economy has to emerge from government and the private sector soon after the 2024
election is over. This is a pivotal moment in the history of the new South Africa, where

probabilities of success or failure can change vastly in a short period of time depending
on the actions taken.

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SA CHAMBER UK NEWSLETTER MARCH 2024