South African Reserve Bank Governor, Tito Mboweni, said on Wednesday that while he may be retiring, that does not mean he will be leaving the business landscape.

"I have never applied for a job in my life so I don't know how to write a CV properly ? the key is not to embellish a CV," he said.

"I will be retiring, but not out ? I retired at a very tender age," he said.

Mboweni acknowledged that one of the low points of his time as central bank governor was a spat with Trevor Manuel around the need for a single regulator.

"Those were difficult times ? but we came to the conclusion it was not the best option for South Africa and would work out some coordinated mechanism, which has done well," said Mboweni.

"When the financial crisis happened, Minister Manuel said thank God we never went the single regulator model ? I said thank God I never pushed for it and thank God he came to see the light," said Mboweni.

"The need for a single regulator was a low point between the SARB and the Minister of Finance," said Mboweni.

Mboweni was speaking at a Reuter's economist of the year function. First place went to the Bureau for Economic Research, second to Sonja Keller from JP Morgan and third to Elna Moolman from BJM.

Mboweni said one of the high points of his ten years was when inflation was within the target range, but his popularity turned when he had to start hiking rates.