South Africa’s Reputation Improving

 Since rejoining the international community South Africa has been included in numerous surveys covering a range of subjects. In many instances the high levels of crime and escalating corruption often negatively effected the outcomes of some of these scores.

The outcome of a survey conducted by the Reputation Institute among the G8 countries shows a steady year-on-year increase in the reputation of the country. A score of 44.23 was recorded in January 2009, increasing to 44.60 in January 2010 and 46.7 in January 2011, on a score of 0-100.

South Africa`s score spiked at 49.11 in August 2010 after hosting the FIFA Soccer World Cup tournament.

The scores are determined by more than 60 000 respondents in the G8 countries in which the top 50 industrial countries in the world are rated. Canada scored highest with 74.8 closely followed by Sweden with 74.7 and Australia with 74.3. In total six countries were scored at 70 or more. South Africa was placed 33rd with Iran and Iraq filling the 49th and 50th places.
Among the Brics countries, Brazil was place 22nd, India 27th, China 43rd and Russia 45th. Surprisingly, the United States of America was placed 23rd with a score of 52.9.

There are three factors mainly impacting on the perceptions of the respondents such as the attraction of the environment, the effectiveness of the government and ancillary systems, and how advanced the economy of the country is. South Africa scores well as far as its scenic beauty and the friendliness of its people are concerned. It scores lower when general safety, levels of crime and corruption and efficiency of government are taken into account.

Dr Dominic Heil, the Managing Director of the Reputational Institute, said that is was good news that South Africa had steadily improved its score but needed to do more about the high levels of crime and the inefficiencies of the various levels of government.

Pieter Rautenbach