Branding South Africa on the world stage is the focus in this edition of Business Day Spotlight.
Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Sithembile Ntombela, GM for marketing at Brand South Africa (Brand SA).
Brand SA is considered the “official custodian of South Africa’s national brand”. Ntombela says it is the official marketing agency of South Africa, tasked with building the country’s brand reputation to improve its global competitiveness and attractiveness as a tourist destination as well as for investment.
The unit was part of the team spearheading South Africa’s presidency of the G20 in 2025.
Even as geopolitical tensions threatened to tarnish South Africa’s reputation last year, particularly with the US, Brand SA was working to counter certain narratives being peddled.
Ntombela says this aspect made the year particularly challenging.
The branding expert says the overall G20 Summit and its related engagements through the year went well, helping to raise the country’s profile.
Ntombela also details the range of activities that Brand SA undertakes to keep the country’s brand relevant.
In December, the entity and South Africa Day officially relaunched the RSA Flag on the R24 in Johannesburg, the world’s largest on-the-ground national flag.
Ntombela says crime in South Africa remains a stain on the country’s global reputation, though the country scores highly on several other measures, such as infrastructure and skills.
Through the discussion, Ntombela outlines how South Africa’s campaign about the G20 turned out and some of the ways that the organisation gauges perception of South Africa’s brand and highlights successes and failures for the year.
Join the discussion:
Producer: Demi Buzo
Business Day Spotlight is an Arena Podcasts production.
For more episodes subscribe to Simplecast.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.