Why does South Africa need a broad civil society movement led by faith leaders on the socio-economic future of the country when we have a democratically elected government? Why does the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, have to step outside his pulpit and convene discussions about economic policy and jobs, social cohesion and […]
budget speech
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
South Africa in the age of austerity
While the battle against austerity in Europe has entered a decisive phase — with the election of the radical-left Syriza in Greece — the term is seldom heard with reference to South Africa. Despite this, and the global discrediting of austerity, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s recent budget can only be described as austere. Austerity refers […]
Posted inBusiness
An open letter to Minister Pravin Gordhan
By Ian Dewar Minister Gordhan, I write to you because I find myself deeply disappointed by the centralist orthodoxy of your budget speech. I live in a small rural town where 25.9% of the local workforce is unemployed and 45.9% of local households earn less than R1600 per month. This means that our local Gini […]
Posted inGeneral
Budgeting for HIV: Let’s not forget what hangs in the balance
This past week has definitely had us pulling out our calculators and knotting our eyebrows as we tried to scrutinise the numbers, analyse the figures, and work out what the increases and decreases (and haircuts) of the 2012 national budget will mean for our own pockets. Ofcourse, I being the medic that I am (and […]