Are South Africans Lazy? A Productivity Reality Check
As a strategic advisory business that has supported industrial capital raisings, as well as youth employment initiatives and incentives, a recent article in The Citizen caught our eye — especially because the comments were attributed to Gwede Mantashe, arguably one of the most powerful individuals in the ANC.
Mantashe was quoted as saying:
“South Africa has developed a theory of delivery, which means you sit back, you sit in the sun and expect the state to deliver, and people are not involved.”
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“We must all be part of the solution and not depend on the state or the ANC for solutions. The more people get involved, the better the country will be.”
Why these comments matter going into 2026
Before we even touch the “are South Africans lazy?” question, it’s worth unpacking why the comments are interesting — particularly heading into the 2026 local government elections.
For roughly 30 years post-Apartheid, the ANC has been the majority ruling party. It has also been strongly wedded to centralisation of social and economic policy and activity. Two recent examples stand out:
- The National Health Insurance (NHI) debate
- The proposed Transformation Fund, where the intent was to centralise and control large pools of funding under the state
Through a longer-term lens, we can also point to the social grant system, regularly presented as a policy success, especially around election cycles.
So from a messaging perspective, it is notable that such a senior leader is now speaking openly about state dependencyand public expectations of the state. Even if you disagree with the framing, it signals something about political positioning going into 2026.
Hot take: “Are South Africans lazy?” is not the right question
Our departure point is simple: it’s a nonsensical question.
There are roughly 63 million people in the country. It’s impossible to label a group of that size as “lazy” with any seriousness.
If we look at professional sport alone, South Africa has:
- been dominant in rugby for the last decade
- remained highly competitive in men’s and women’s cricket
- produced world-class performance in athletics and swimming (among other disciplines)
On top of this, South Africa continues to produce globally recognised talent in finance, engineering, and healthcare, and we’ve built innovations that travel well beyond our borders.
It’s tough to argue that we are “lazy”.
Productivity vs laziness: not the same thing
A better question is whether South Africa has a productivity challenge, and what drives it.
The team at Codera Analytics recently shared a graph worth considering:
Economist Daan Steenkamp noted:
“Although labour productivity rose more than pay since the global financial crisis, their cumulative changes eventually aligned. This demonstrates that raising labour productivity is crucial for raising wages over time. As we have showed in a series of posts, labour productivity in SA has been mostly driven by increases in the capital stock. This means South Africa’s falling investment rate and weak potential growth will have major implications for welfare over the long term.”
This matters because productivity is often shaped by:
- capital investment
- infrastructure
- management systems
- skills development
- stability and confidence in the policy environment
In other words: productivity is structural. Laziness is a moral judgement. Those are not the same thing.
“But Zimbabweans are much harder workers”
In late 2024, the Department of Labour began a clampdown on a number of sectors, including hospitality.
Through our HR consulting business, we had limited interactions with entrepreneurs operating restaurants and small hotel groups, and this generalisation came up regularly as justification for hiring Zimbabweans over South Africans.
When pressed on what they meant, the explanation usually turned into something more specific:
Zimbabweans who came to South Africa for work were perceived as showing a higher degree of “loyalty”, while many South Africans saw waitering or hospitality roles as a foot in the door, and were more likely to move on once another opportunity appeared.
We would argue that this is the antithesis of laziness.
That’s ambition. That’s mobility. That’s people trying to climb.
Exhausted and demotivated, but not lazy
We know the statistics:
- national unemployment hovering around 34%
- youth unemployment north of 50%
- annual growth often under 2%
We call ourselves one of the most advanced economies in Africa, yet the lived experience for many people is stagnation.
There’s also a national “quirk” worth acknowledging: we operate a centrally planned system aimed at serving about 63 million people, while there are arguments the real number could be closer to 95 million.
The downstream impact is obvious:
Graduates study for 3 to 5 years, then often rely on youth employment incentives to enter the market, and many end up starting on the National Minimum Wage, currently under R5,000 per month on a 40-hour work week.
Perhaps the national psyche is less about laziness, and more about low motivation created by low reward — especially when the pathway from effort to stability feels increasingly uncertain.
A welcome change in messaging, but be gentle
The headline from The Citizen may have triggered outrage online, but Mantashe’s comments do suggest a change in tone, at least from parts of the ANC, away from “the state will do everything” and towards “people must participate”.
As a team advising on B2B communications, we find that messaging shift intriguing — especially going into critical elections in 2026.
At the same time: be gentle.
South Africans have spent years living inside economic and social policy outcomes that encouraged dependency, whether intentionally or not. If the message is now “stop depending on the state”, it will take time — and credibility — to shift mindsets.
Because you can’t lecture people out of a system they were coached into.
FAQ: Are South Africans lazy, or is something else going on?
Are South Africans actually lazy?
No. Framing an entire population as “lazy” ignores context, data and lived reality. South Africans consistently perform at world-class levels in sport, professional services, engineering and healthcare. The issue is not laziness, but structural barriers that affect productivity, motivation and opportunity.
What is the difference between productivity and laziness?
Productivity is shaped by investment, infrastructure, skills, management systems and economic confidence. Laziness is a moral judgement. South Africa’s productivity challenges are largely linked to weak investment, low growth and capital constraints, not a lack of effort.
Why does youth unemployment matter in this debate?
With youth unemployment above 50%, many young people enter the labour market through short-term contracts, incentives or low-wage roles. This creates frustration and disengagement, not because of attitude, but because the pathway from effort to stability is unclear or delayed.
Are foreign workers “harder working” than South Africans?
This is a common perception, especially in hospitality and services, but it often reflects different economic incentives rather than work ethic. Migrant workers may stay longer in roles because they have fewer alternatives, while South Africans often view the same roles as transitional.
Why do Gwede Mantashe’s comments matter now?
They signal a potential shift in political messaging ahead of the 2026 local government elections. After decades of centralised policy and state-led solutions, public acknowledgement of state dependency is notable — and politically significant.
Call to action
At Decusatio, we work at the intersection of economic reality, policy, communication and execution. Whether advising on youth employment initiatives, industrial capital raisings or stakeholder messaging, we help organisations move beyond soundbites and engage with the real drivers of growth, productivity and participation.
If your organisation is navigating complex policy environments, labour market pressures or public-facing narratives in the lead-up to 2026, our team is well placed to support you with strategic insight and practical execution.
Get in touch with Decusatio to continue the conversation.