The Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation hosted its highly anticipated annual Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum, convening political leaders, civil society actors, academic voices, and private sector stakeholders to deliberate on the path toward a more inclusive, sustainable South Africa. The forum’s theme centred on bridging inequalities, revitalising local economies, and reinvigorating governance at grassroots levels. South African Reserve bank governor, Mr Lesetja Kganyago, was invited as a key speaker to the event. While the event stretched across several days, 10th October 2025 marked a pivotal day of addresses, panel debates, and strategic work sessions.
‎‎‎Mr Kganyago stated that the South African Rand (ZAR) was “settling down to a more mature stage of life”, further stating that the currency deserves more respect and recognition for it’s recently discovered stability. Kganyago confirmed that South Africa’s position is arguably “as strong as it has ever been” with reserves being surpassed to 70 Billion U.S dollars for the first time in our history. According to him, the country’s currency meets all major reserve adequacy metrics.
‎Former president of South Africa and Founder of the Foundation, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe in his opening keynote delivered a devasting assessment of municipal dysfunction in the country and warned that 90% of local municipalities are in visible distress. A conviction is placed on a combination of poor governance, lack of economic activity and transparency as well as leadership vaccumes. ‎
‎Mr Motlanthe has made a plea for a renewed and redefined emphasis on strengthening local economies, particularly through support for the informal sector and tourism which is best described as underutilized engines of development. He mentioned the upcoming possibilities of merging weak municipalities to enhance capacity and viability. ‎
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Motlanthe closes off in a rather optimistic tone, reminding delegates that “we owe a great debt to the future”, urging them to gravitate from idealization to actualization. ‎
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