In spite of the global market suffering in certain sectors, South African brands are on the up and looking increasingly stable. This is good news for international investors who are looking for more reliable places to grow their investments.

South Africa’s top 50 brands gained 18% in value to R343bn from R291bn in 2013, with MTN winning the ultimate prize, according to a report by a global brand research company.

“You don’t see that growth globally,” BrandFinance SA MD Oliver Schmitz told Fin24 shortly after their report’s release. “That’s why people from oversees are coming to invest here: It’s stable and there is huge growth.”

He said what was surprising was that the top 10 brands have only grown by 14%, while the top 40 brands have grown by 22%, indicating more momentum from the bottom brands. The top 10 brands account for 52% of total brand value amongst the top 40, while MTN accounts for a massive 16.5% of total brand value.[…]

A thriving “Made in South Africa” and entrepreneurship spirit was what built South Africa’s wealth, reputation and competitiveness, he said. “For Africa and certainly for South Africa to grow independent, create jobs and reduce inequality, it will need to invest in the attributes that built these brands – on top of increasing intra-Africa trade – to challenge global brands in Africa.”

In the category of South Africa’s strongest brand, MTN and FNB were both rated as this year’s strongest brands, said Ikalafeng.

“In the year that South Africa lost its founding democratic president and most valuable icon, Nelson Mandela, it’s interesting to note that the underlying core values of these brands closely follow those of Madiba’s. It’s no surprise then that these brands resonate with South African consumers where others battle.”

Here are the top 50 for this year, with MTN topping the lot:

Check out the full analysis from Fin24