The experts weigh in on what Moody's downgrade will actually mean for the people of South Africa right now.
South Africans woke up to Moody’s having downgraded South Africa to junk status this Saturday, making it the third rating agency to do so and putting us in a negative investment grade situation.
While this news comes at a time already fraught with turmoil, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett, advises South Africans to remain calm and to consider a few realities before allowing themselves to get consumed by negativity.
There’s going to be a lot of talk around this. It will be helpful to put a different spin on it by considering a few realities. The first being that right now, there are bigger issues to focus on, like keeping your family safe and not getting sick yourself.
Secondly, Goslett reminds South Africans that this was not a surprise. “We all knew it was coming and our financial markets have priced it in long ago.”
Next, he reminds us that we have no control over it – and we never had control over it anyway. It is not worth spending your mental energy worrying about things over which you have no control.
The fourth point to which Goslett brings our attention is that South Africa is resilient and so are its people. “We will come through ALL of this. It will just take time,” he reassures us.
Then, Goslett suggests that some good might yet come from this. “If we borrow from the IMF, they will force policy change. And this could be a good thing for our country,” he suggests.
As a sixth point, we are reminded that we can either choose to see what life throws our way as an opportunity, or we could allow ourselves to become victims to our circumstances. “You are not the dealer. You can only play the hand you’re dealt. Be smart and play a good hand,” says Goslett.
Goslett’s last piece of advice is to start making better lifestyle choices immediately to start lowering your debt. “Do whatever it takes now because access to finance will become more expensive in the future,” he concludes.
