The past few years have seen a dramatic uptick in American diplomatic efforts in Africa, which has coincided with a decisive shift in political rhetoric about the continent. At first glance this might seem like a positive development, reflecting a more progressive attitude toward what has long been considered an unimportant global backwater. But a […]
Business
Posted inBusiness
A local obsession
How do we tell the story of economic policy in South Africa? As an analyst my tools are statistics and substantiation, and even sometimes a case study. Steve Mandy, a fashion artist, tells the story through art. His exhibition, which I viewed only online, tells a more accessible story. It offers a profound and demanding […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics, Tech
The real cost of renewables
We are at the start of a period of significant investment in renewable energy in South Africa. Renewables will bring many advantages for the country. For simplicity in this blog I will deal mainly with the benefits of wind power, but these benefits will occur with solar, particularly solar PV, as well. The headline cost […]
Posted inBusiness
Investee cynicism won’t help us
As a university student, I often mistook cynicism for being smart. “I abhor enthusiasm”, I would say, puffing a cigarette while ogling the “sheep” around me sent hoop-jumping by the “pseudo-academics” at the “employment shelter” I called my university. Just as I learnt that smoking can seriously dent your health, I also discovered that such […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Make jobs and economic growth the tests for media tribunal
The governing party’s proposed media appeals tribunal will be a rare discussion point attracting some consensus at its National General Council (NGC) meeting in Durban this week. If it was thought that the tribunal was supported when it first emerged at Polokwane due to the media’s treatment of ANC President Jacob Zuma during his rape […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Everyone stands to lose if the secrecy bill succeeds
The Protection of Information Bill (POI) saga is probably more of a farce than a black comedy, but doesn’t it make that late nineties movie Wag the Dog spring to mind? Perhaps not because of similarities between its plot and the POI saga, but definitely as one considers the lame attempts of those championing the […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
The international press and investors are onto us
There are a host of factors affecting investment decisions that governments cannot control. Think of natural resource endowments, proximity to major markets, the climate or even inherited developmental legacies. With our global economy’s sustained dependence on oil and gas, surpluses of these commodities to export may still ensure countries certain advantages in attracting foreign direct […]
Posted inBusiness
Can we trust the credit rating agencies?
By Siziphiwe Ngxabi The recession, as you already know, was caused by reckless lending. Lending by American banks to so-called “Ninja” customers (no income, no job or assets). Perhaps they thought it was the right thing to do at the time because the interest rates were relatively low. But as can be expected — the […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle
More tax, please!
If you ask me, the new carbon tax is a sloppy piece of green-wash. It’s a quick way for the government to raise an extra R450 million a year. At best it’s a token gesture that makes us look a little more green-minded when decisions are made about where to hold climate conferences and summits. And […]
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Tripartite alliance on the rocks?
The biggest public-sector strike since Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi is nearing its end. Nay, I dare say, do not be fooled by the fiery utterances of the union leaders; the end of the strike has begun. Fighting on several fronts at the same time, the government has been both tactical and brutal with the unions. We saw […]
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Are CEOs overpaid?
By Monde Nkosi Winston Churchill once claimed that all men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes. It would appear that we, as a country, are not wise. As far back as 2005 during a strike by the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union, a placard read: “Sean Summers you earn […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, General, Lifestyle
Weigh-Less for carbon addicts
If you are fat, most people would say you should probably go on diet. Cut down on what’s causing your love handles and that bloated beer belly. The same thinking, it seems, applies to climate change: having gorged ourselves on the bad stuff — fossils fuels and carbon emissions — while skimping on the greens, […]