By Rachel Mohamed
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) recently released its report on the first quarter of 2025, indicating a 0.1% increase in GDP. Key contributors to this growth included sectors such as agriculture, transport, finance, and trade. However, declines were noted in both the manufacturing and mining industries.
Speaking on VOC’s News Beat show, Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, commented on last year’s disappointing figures.
“In the first quarter, the economic growth rate in South Africa was only 0.1%, especially concerning given that the population growth rate exceeds 1.6%,” he stated.
He further emphasized that “when the population growth rate considerably outpaces the economic growth rate, it signals impending disaster.”
Listen for the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
