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The news has been packed with stories about how so many South African companies are struggling after the hard lockdown.

It’s been tough going this year. We started with a recession, which was worsened by the pandemic, and now that the economy has for the most part reopened, businesses are trying to regain the losses that they experienced over the past few months.

With that in mind, let’s indulge in a change of pace and a little positivity, courtesy of research group Brand Finance and its latest annual review of the strongest and most valuable brands in South Africa.

While most of the brands on the list have decreased a bit in value, they’re still going strong.

According to the report:

Telco giant MTN has retained the title of South Africa’s most valuable brand despite recording a 2% brand value loss to R49.4 billion.

Over the last year, Africa’s largest mobile operator has celebrated solid profits and impressive subscriber growth, which currently stands at over 250 million across 23 countries.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and good vibes where MTN is concerned. The company has come under scrutiny following allegations that it paid bribes to militant Islamist groups in Afghanistan, so we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.

Vodacom, on the other hand, has been hailed as the nation’s strongest brand.

In addition to measuring overall brand value, Brand Finance also evaluates the relative strength of brands, based on factors such as marketing investment, customer familiarity, staff satisfaction, and corporate reputation.

According to these criteria, Vodacom (down 9% to R30.3 billion) is the strongest brand in South Africa, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 89.5 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA brand strength rating.

FNB is shining through as the country’s best bank, coming in at number three, while Nedbank trails behind at number eight.

If you ask Seth, switching from Nedbank to FNB was one of the best things he’s done in recent times. Even if you don’t ask him, he’ll probably tell you.

Moving on, here they are – South Africa’s top ten most valuable brands 2020:

Image: Brand Finance PLc 2020

To check out a comprehensive table of the top 50 brands in the country, head here.

[source:brandfinance]