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A Call to Action for both government and the formal economy
Posted by Admin (JS) on 29 January 2026, 14:25 SAST
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The numbers are out, and the message is clear: while the rest of the world and our neighbours in Sub-Saharan Africa are finding their gears, South Africa is idling at a projected 1.2% growth for 2026. To the suits in Sandton and the policy-makers in Pretoria, this might look like a "stable recovery." But on the ground in our townships—in the heart of the R900 billion Kasi economy—this is a crisis of exclusion.
Growth that stays in the "formal" centre is not growth; it is hoarding. It is time for a radical shift in how we define economic responsibility.
TO GOVERNMENT: Stop Regulating, Start Investing
Our townships are not "dormitories" for workers to sleep in before heading to the suburbs; they are the engines of the new economy.
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Decolonise the Infrastructure: We don't just need new highways for trucks to pass through our neighbourhoods. We need localised power grids so our businesses don’t die in the dark. We need free, high-speed fibre in every ward to turn every spaza into a global storefront.
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End the "Red Tape" War: Stop treating Kasi entrepreneurs like suspects. When you make a simple permit a mountain of paperwork, you are actively stifling the 1.2% growth you claim to want. We need "One-Stop Hubs" that treat our vendors with the same respect as a multinational CEO.
TO THE FORMAL ECONOMY: You are not an island
To the big banks and the retail giants: the township economy is your biggest customer, yet you remain its biggest barrier.
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Circular Wealth, Not Leakage: Your shopping malls shouldn't be vacuum cleaners that suck money out of the Kasi. We demand real supplier development, not just tick-box CSR. If you operate in our streets, your shelves must be stocked by our local producers.
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Fund the "Invisible" Credit: Stop asking for collateral that history didn't allow us to own. Use the digital data from our millions of transactions to unlock capital. If you can’t lend to a business that has survived 10 years in a township, you aren't a banker—you’re a gatekeeper.
The KasiKonnect Manifesto
The 1.2% growth forecast is a warning. If that growth does not have a "knock-on" effect for the township entrepreneur, it is a failure of leadership and a betrayal of the people. We aren't asking for a seat at your table—we are building our own. It’s time you realised that the prosperity of South Africa lives and dies in the streets of the Kasi.
Economic justice is not a favour. It is the only way forward.
