"The positive sentiment sparked by the Government of National Unity (GNU) is consolidating," business lobby Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso states in her latest weekly newsletter.

"We can only hope that the dial shifts more in favour of the good news, particularly when it comes to improving the functioning and capacity of the State. A positive trajectory will have its setbacks, but can still maintain an upward path overall."

Bond yields have already dramatically fallen, and the government can now borrow at rates 10% lower than before the election, which is a reflection that shows investors are expecting an improvement in government finances, highlights Mavuso.

"It will take some time to see data reflecting the trend in business sentiment, but having shifted lower in advance of the election, we expect an upward move in response to the consolidation of the GNU and the formation of a coherent agenda for reform. The outcome of the first Cabinet meeting and the opening of Parliament will be critical to maintaining the upward momentum."

"The first Cabinet meeting of the GNU kicked off on Saturday, which was slated to set out an agenda for the Cabinet of the seventh administration.

"We hope to hear of success in that effort, which would be an encouraging signal that the new Cabinet, drawn out of multiple political parties, is working effectively. The meeting is set to inform the President’s speech at the opening of Parliament, which could herald the beginning of a new era for Parliament, as it seeks to hold the administration accountable," she says.

Further, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has extended visas for those who are waiting for decisions on their applications.

"The backlog of processing visa applications by the Department of Home Affairs is a major headache for business, which needs to draw on foreign skills to get things done.

"Investments have delayed or cancelled simply because companies have not been able to bring the needed people into the country to make them happen. I hope that Minister Schreiber will turn his attention to the backlog and tackle it with new energy so that there do not need to be any further extensions," Mavuso adds.

Additionally, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala, who had launched the investigation as Minister, have revealed that the department has suffered more than R300-million in cyber-related theft.

They have tackled the problem swiftly, with employees suspended and laptops seized, Mavuso notes.

There have also been some good indicators of how corruption could be targeted, with the news made public about the theft in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, as well as the jailing of former VBS chairperson Tshifhiwa Matodzi for 15 years and his agreement to support the State’s prosecution of others who are implicated.

This should aid the National Prosecuting Authority’s efforts to bring to book all those who allegedly benefitted from the R2.2-billion theft, many of whom were and are in senior political positions, she added.

Meanwhile, the World Bank and S&P Global report that showed South African ports ranked among the world's worst is an indicator of the serious logistics crisis that has gripped the economy, with firms struggling to get goods to and from ports.

"The Cape Town port has been a particular headache for agriculture, with fruit exporters having to reroute containers to Walvis Bay in Namibia and other local ports.

"However, since the study was conducted, Transnet has said that the Port of Durban has reduced the backlog by 30 000 containers and the vessel anchoring times have been reduced to four days in January from 18 days in October. New equipment is also on the way," Mavuso says.

Additionally, there has been some progress in a fundamental restructuring of how ports are operated, with Grindrod having been announced as the preferred bidder for a concession to develop and manage a container terminal at Richard’s Bay port.

Similarly, there is a process underway to concession the Durban container terminal, albeit one tied up in court challenges, she adds.

"As we implement the Freight Logistics Roadmap drawn up by the National Logistics Crisis Committee between business and government, we should hope the performance of South African ports starts to improve in such rankings.

"We should aspire to operate the most efficient ports in Africa, such as Morocco’s Tanger Med port, which is currently the highest-ranking African port and is considered fourth best in the world," Mavuso notes.