Johannesburg's Decline and Corporate Flight: A Conversation with Busisiwe Mavuso

Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa, discusses what it would take to restore Johannesburg's attractiveness to business. The conversation covers the pace of reform, the costs companies absorb when basic services falter, and how these factors shape expansion decisions by multinationals.

■ Infrastructure and service delivery
- Traffic signal management, road potholes, water shortages, and electricity supply in the city
- The role of private companies in covering gaps left by municipal and state services
■ The timeline of reform
- Electricity regulation reform beginning in 2022 and the years until power cuts ended
- The gap between legislative changes and improvements on the ground
■ Corporate relocation and investment risk
- Firms relocating to Cape Town, other provinces, or elsewhere on the continent
- The limits of relocation as a solution and the risk of capital outflow
- Decision-making by foreign investors outside South Africa
■ Case examples: Volkswagen and Nissan
- Backup power generation, diesel costs, and logistics disruptions during power cuts
- Competing expansion considerations in China, Brazil, and Egypt
- Economic growth rates and regulatory environments as comparison points

The discussion is relevant to those following African business, urban governance, and foreign direct investment. Viewers can gain an understanding of the criteria multinationals weigh when deciding where to expand, and how municipal service delivery feeds into national competitiveness. Consider comparing the points raised with current reporting on Johannesburg's municipal reforms.