Tag: BusinessResilience

Cyber risk is no longer a peripheral IT issue in African supply chains. Instead, it is becoming a core operational threat. According to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), 70% of organisations report experiencing fraud or economic crime. Cyber-enabled fraud ranks among the fastest-growing categories globally, according to the ACCA Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey.

South African businesses have evolved alongside the reality of the country’s physical infrastructure challenges. Organisations instinctively build redundancies for power. These include solar installations, battery backup solutions, UPS systems and generators. When the grid fails, the failover system kicks in. Similarly, most businesses have multiple connectivity failovers because they understand operational disruption intimately.

Today’s business environment is no longer defined by a single shock but by overlapping geopolitical and economic disruptions reshaping the macroeconomic landscape. Businesses are operating amid a polycrisis, where conflict, trade tensions, inflationary pressure and supply chain instability continue to reinforce uncertainty.

South Africa’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face increasing pressure to grow cautiously. Economic volatility, rising operating costs and stubbornly high unemployment continue to reshape hiring decisions across the small business sector.

A practical guide to working on your business - helping founders and leaders build organisations that perform well, act with integrity and endure.‎ Many entrepreneurs, founders, executives and board members spend their days immersed in urgent business demands. They solve problems, manage teams and respond to constant operational pressures. However, the greatest challenge for any enterprise involves learning how to step back and work on the business, not only in it.

As we enter the second quarter of 2026, South Africa’s economy faces a critical test. SA’s hard-won recovery now confronts significant pressure. A global energy shock has triggered a sharp rise in living costs. Fuel prices continue to surge. Consequently, logistics-driven inflation now affects the entire consumer landscape.

The rising cost of fuel is forcing businesses to rethink labour costs. A permanent workforce has become difficult to sustain. As a result, many organisations are shifting toward more flexible staffing models. This shift helps them scale more easily while maintaining continuity. In this context, a flexible workforce becomes a practical necessity.

New global research reveals a critical gap in corporate restructuring. It shows that 83% of business restructuring leaders arrive too late to save value. Therefore, organisations must shift from reactive crisis repair to proactive strategic resilience.

This year has been marked by significant geopolitical instability. As the conflict in the Middle East continues, South African importers face pressure from three sides. Fuel costs are rising. Supply chains are disrupted. In addition, the Rand, already one of the world’s most volatile emerging market currencies, now carries a war premium on every international transaction.

Corporate reputation now carries measurable value. Companies with strong reputations can realise as much as 4.78% in additional annual shareholder returns. This creates a global 'reputation economy' worth an estimated $7.07 trillion, according to our landmark new study.