About Us
Navigating the maze of government officials, political and commercial interests, policy and public opinion in South Africa is increasingly complex. It can sometimes seem so amorphous that many business leaders and investors find it daunting and time-consuming. Vertico Consultancy is on hand to assist the private and public sector, and international interests, to better understand and navigate South Africa’s political economy. Our packages are therefore designed in such a way as to provide an integrated risk profile of South Africa for interested stakeholders.
Vertico Consultancy is a boutique political economy consultancy services company. The company has a multi-pronged approach to the provision of its service; monitor political stability; provide advisory services, policy or otherwise, on issues that directly (or potentially) influence a business’ or governments operation; and provide scenario planning services for companies or public sector institutions looking to have a better understanding of their options in the South African market.
We utilize a vast network of experienced government contacts, political and economic commentators, industry specialists and other relevant sources to gain much needed insight to the benefit of our clients in their respective fields
Currently, Vertico Consultancy is primarily headed by Thapelo Tselapedi. He was a researcher for a socio-economic rights organization and then went on to become a university lecturer to teach politics. He is currently completing his PhD on International Political Economy (IPE) and is a political commentator on a number of media outlets on South African politics. He has written a number of articles on public debates, ranging from research reports, newspaper and blog articles, and academic papers.
Service offerings
Political stability
- Assess the susceptibility of industry dissatisfaction and of political discontent. Though some of this frustration can lead to industrial strikes or protests, it is usually an outcome of policy/regulatory framework or market behaviour.
- Track the health of financial and political institutions to assess their ability to guarantee democratic governance and economic stability
Advisory services
- Vertico Consultancy tracks the development of market policy and regulatory framework to advice our clients on industry-specific trends.
- We also observe public statements of political and business leaders to assess the medium to long term thinking of the political economy environment.
- We help design mitigation strategies if market behaviour or regulatory framework is at variance with client interests.
- We also assist government in streamlining or implementing their policies.
Scenario planning
- This is a strategic planning method that we use to design ‘flexible’ long-term plans. Vertico Consultancy delivers analysis that provides corporate and government executives an edge in predicting the course of key policy trends and events, and helps clients future-proof their strategies.
- This service is meant to assist businesses and government with the task of investment decisions, risk analysis and opportunities for expansion or for caution.
- We also highlight developments in the domestic economy as they occur and offer commentary on their potential impact on the economy and the client.
- This offering includes workshop facilitation.
Value Proposition
Our value proposition includes research into the political economy of South Africa, specifically the performance of various sectors of the economy and how these are affected by political/policy interests and/or the evolving investment dynamics. We offer these services to public, private, domestic and international clients.