Why invest in South Africa and why invest now?

Where is SA's top-rated fund manager seeing risk and opportunity?

We have held a balanced view on South Africa for some time, but have become more positive over the last few months. Cyclically, South Africa is well-positioned to benefit from significant global tailwinds and increased local economic activity as the lockdown eases. Structurally, South Africa’s growth outlook remains weak and burdened with high levels of government debt. However, we are encouraged by the government’s Economic Restructuring & Recovery Plan and progress on the anti-corruption front. Should reform and anti-corruption momentum continue, South Africa may achieve a new growth trajectory, one that could open up opportunity and surprise investors given, the current low level of confidence.

South Africa has been stuck in a confidence crisis largely due to policy uncertainty, fiscal concerns and corruption being deeply rooted within the ruling party. Growth has remained below par and below many of our emerging market peers, and any prospects of future growth rebound appears to be constrained due to:

1. an unstable energy supply;

2. damage done by the national lockdown; and 3. lack of structural reforms.

3. lack of structural reforms.

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Grethe Fourie

Business Development Manager

Grethe joined Fairtree in 2025 as a Business Development Manager in the Distribution team. She focuses on cultivating strong, long-term relationships with financial advisers and identifying opportunities for meaningful growth. Prior to joining Fairtree, Grethe spent eight years at PPS, where she held several leadership roles, including Regional Sales Manager, Regional Specialist Support Manager, and ultimately National Manager of PPS Wealth Advisory. In her most recent role, she led the Wealth Advisory team nationally, overseeing strategy, operations, reporting, and key stakeholder relationships. She also served as a Key Individual on the FSP licence and chaired the Best Practice Committee. Earlier in her career, she worked as a financial adviser for seven years. She is passionate about empowering women in finance and previously led the Women in Finance initiative at PPS. Grethe holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from Stellenbosch University and is a Certified Financial Planner® professional.

Stephan Venter

Investment Specialist

Stephan joined Fairtree in 2025 as an investment specialist in the Distribution team. He began his career at Deloitte in 2006 as an accountant. He then joined Discovery Invest as an Investment Specialist, before moving to Sanlam Investments, where he spent nine years as a portfolio manager. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from the University of Pretoria, an Honours degree and CTA in Accounting from the University of South Africa, and an Honours degree in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town.

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Get in touch with our experienced hedge fund team to navigate your investments. Have a question? We’re here to help.