The South African government has announced R5 billion in support for firms affected by the global slowdown. The news comes after the President delivered his State of the Nation Address in Parliament last Thursday 11 February, with an emphasis on a turnaround strategy to put the economy on a path of growth.
Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said to support growth in jobs, the government was working on taking advantage of opportunities in the rest of the continent.
"Last year for the first time, other African countries became our single biggest regional market, overtaking Asia. We exported R303 billion worth of goods to other African countries, supporting roughly a quarter million South African jobs.
"For example, sixty percent of all the fruit juice that we export goes to other African countries," he said.
