[Podcast] M&G Newsroom: 25 February 2013
We look at the Oscar Pistorius hearing, Mamphela Ramphele's new political party, Sona, the upcoming budget speech and the artful Design Indaba.
Gordhan's catch-22: More debt or raised taxes?
Pravin Gordhan will be faced with the tough choice of raising SA's debt levels or pushing tax hikes when he delivers his 2013 budget later this week.
Little done to relieve pain of the poor
Job creation and welfare initiatives aside, critics have warned of a bias towards big industry and the rich.
Education outlay supports access over success
Pravin Gordhan sticks to his guns and gives education the biggest portion of the national budget.
Close, but no consensus on key limits
In creating a blueprint for growth, Gordhan has been hamstrung by the very lack of buy-in he wants and needs.
Little real fabric on manufacturing plans
South Africans will have to wait for a while until they see how the department of trade and industry implements the industrial policy.
Don't smile, you're being mugged
High taxes on investments has left taxpayers in a bad position.
Job creation still key, but the figures do not tell the story
The government has claimed that job creation is its top priority yet it has cut the allocated budget by almost R4-billion from last year.
Not much for the little guy to celebrate
Some small businesses are likely to benefit from minor tax tweaks but there is no relief on the jobs front.
Bid to keep debt levels down
The state wants to keep the country's debt levels down while also saving money across government departments.
Big spender faces big hurdles
Pravin Gordhan admits that the state's ambitious development plans will come to nought without effective management by state institutions.
Retirement tax cap is short-sighted
Maya Fisher-French offers Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan a savings tip
Banking on agriculture
Government is to pump R250-million into a fund to draw new and emerging entrants to the sector.
Zuma's R200-million renovation
The R200-million allocated to refurbish the presidents homestead could have been spent on thousands of RDP homes
No carbon tax, but power levy up
Carbon taxes have been shelved for a year, but the levy on electricity generated from non-renewable and nuclear energy will rise.
The plan that wasn't there
Hemmed in politics, Pravin Gordhan holds back on big ideas.
[Video] M&G budget preview
M&G editor-in-chief Nic Dawes talks us through his predictions for the 2012 budget speech.
