All South Africans certainly feel much poorer in 2014 as a result of the decline of the rand. The cost of imports (including fuel) is set to surge, which is likely to result in higher inflation. However, if the country’s miners and manufacturers take full advantage of their new-found competitiveness, some of the obvious downsides could be mitigated. In fact, there could even be jobs and growth benefits. It is far from certain, though, whether such companies are indeed positioned to take full advantage of this supposed windfall, especially those in strike-prone subsectors.