Cent Decline: Cent Contraction

cent decline: The country's economy was already struggling with official unemployment of 27.7 per cent, as well as financial fallout from scandals surrounding President Jacob Zuma, according to CTV. This year, Fitch and Standard & Poor's lowered South Africa's credit rating to below investment grade after Zuma fired Pravin Gordhan, a finance minister seen by many South Africans as a bulwark against alleged corruption at top levels of government. A 0.7 per cent decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year followed a 0.3 per cent contraction in the last quarter of 2016, meeting the definition of a recession as two or more quarters of negative growth, the South African government said Tuesday. Calls for Zuma to resign have increased within the ruling African National Congress party, fueling uncertainty about the country's leadership. It is a toxic combination of policy uncertainty and grand corruption which has led us to this point, Mmusi Maimane, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance party, said after the recession was announced. Citing leaked emails, South African media have reported on the alleged influence of the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen with close ties to Zuma who have been accused of trying to manipulate the government for financial gain. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.