The South African financial services sector has consistently been ranked in the top 10 globally in terms of competitiveness (IMD, Switzerland). This is as a direct result of its investments in the integration of business models with the appropriate IT technologies.
	The South African Department of Trade and Industry has developed policies to assist the South African manufacturing sector in becoming globally competitive.
	The Mercedes Benz C-class, BMW 3 Series and the VW Golf/Jetta IV vehicles for all right-hand drive markets in the world are now produced in South Africa, as this provides a high quality vehicle at a low cost.
	The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), over 100 years old, is among the 20 largest in the world in terms of capitalisation. In 2001, the JSE was the fifth best performing stock market in the world (Merrill Lynch). In addition the JSE boasts a futures exchange and a bond exchange, all of which employ state-of-the-art electronic trading and settlement systems.
	Telecommunications – Telkom is the public utility with a staff of nearly 45 000 and is the leader on the African continent. There are currently nearly 10 million mobile phone users in South Africa, and more than 20 million are expected by 2004.

Did you know?
	Of the 230 countries in the world, how does SA rank in terms of the size of its economy (measured in US$) ?	25th
	What was the SA government deficit as a % of GDP in 1993 and 2002 respectively? ;	9% / 2.5%
	SA exported R 4 billion motor/accessories per annum in 1994. What was the figure in 2002?	R40bn
	How competitive is SA's labour force (ranked in the world i.e. 1st , 150th etc.)	5th
	By what % have exports grown as a proportion of total manufacturing output since 1994?	93.5%
	Has our civil service grown or declined since 1994? (-15%, -7%, 0%, +7% or +15%)	-15%
	How many houses per day has the SA government built for the poor since 1994?	500
	What % decrease/increase was there in the matric pass rate since 1994?	+39%
	By what % has tourism grown since 1994?	84%
	In the Commonwealth games in we won 11 medals in 1994. In 2002?	46
	What % of the SA population is infected with HIV/AIDs?	12.5%
	Out of 200 countries measured on corruption by Transparency International where is SA ranked?	36th
	Out of 25 Emerging Economies measured on Political and Economic stability where is SA ranked?	6th