R580 billion blow for South Africa

• The value of announced investment projects in South Africa has plummeted by 81% or R580 billion from 2025.
• The decline in announced projects comes amid a push by President Cyril Ramaphosa to encourage investment, with the total amount committed to project development in South Africa for 2026 dropping to its lowest amount since 2017.
• The outlook for private sector fixed investment remains uncertain, with heightened downside risks to growth making firms more hesitant to expand operations, although the banking group still expects fixed investment to increase from last year's low base.