Only 3 in 10 business rescues end in success — most cases stall unresolved

Share of all business rescue filings by outcome, South Africa, May 2011 – December 2021 (n = 4,215)

Aviation and mining dominate the headline failures — wholesale trade files the most cases

Business rescue filings by industry sector, South Africa, May 2011 – December 2021 (top 8 sectors by volume)

South Africa's business rescue framework has saved roughly one in three distressed companies since 2011 — but that headline figure masks a harsher reality: in aviation, every private airline that entered business rescue ultimately liquidated, and wholesale trade, which files the most cases of any sector, achieves turnarounds at below-average rates.