In his weekly presidential newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the green shoots in the economy as an indication that South Africa is a country and an economy on the rise.
Ramaphosa cited the recent downturn in unemployment and strengthening of government finances as an indication that the country was moving towards a place of strength.
Unemployment is down. Data from Statistics South Africa shows that the official unemployment rate fell to 31.9 between July and September this year, down from 33.2 recorded in the previous quarter. Nearly 250 000 more people were in employment in the third quarter. Of these, around 130 000 were added in the construction sector, Ramaphosa said.