Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Eddie Rakabe

Creator

Eddie Rakabe

Eddie Rakabe is a researcher, writer and economist

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana. (Photo by Jeffrey Abrahams/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
DEBT

Austerity measures will rein in South Africa’s growing debt

Accumulated gross debt is expected to stabilise at R6.2 trillion or 74% of GDP by 2026. The annual cost of servicing this deb in that year will be R440 billion

  • Eddie Rakabe
7 min read
Nowhere are the effects of the environmental, health, governance and energy crises more manifest than in our cities.
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

Manage urban transformation to avoid infrastructure blockages

It is possible to urbanise without congestion and the attendant ills through emphasis on better institutions, writes Eddie Rakabe

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
Umbrage: Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has taken the battle with Sakeliga to the constitutional court
AFRICA

This time it’s different: African economies may not survive

Amid the headwinds created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s time the Aloe ferox, which survives in dry, harsh conditions, is nurtured — but the options are limited

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
Increased accessibility to housing subsidies, acceptance of alternative building materials and the opportunity to create jobs makes a strong case for sustained economic and social development.
INFORMAL SECTOR

The informal economy is necessary to deal with the unemployment crisis

It is more connected to the broader economy than we realise and should be supported

  • Eddie Rakabe
4 min read
World Economic Forum report ranks South Africa among the countries with the worst record of upward social mobility — with poor education, health and unfair or low wages being the key factors. (Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko)
ECONOMIC

Shake up institutions controlling the economy to dislodge inequality

The state uses policies and regulations to drive socioeconomic change, but market bias dominates

  • Eddie Rakabe
5 min read
In his recent medium-term budget policy statement
COUNTRY

Cutting the public sector wage bill won’t fly: The key is to manage it better

The state’s wage bill has increased threefold over the past 14 years: it’s time we have a nuanced discussion about how to solve this conundrum

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
As over 17 African countries gear up for elections in 2024 are launching a continental series of op-eds and podcasts on whether digitalisation will benefit democracy in Africa.(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
2019 ELECTIONS

Citizen participation is essential to change government

In the absence of bold reforms, voters and the general public are left with one option — to embrace participatory governance

  • Eddie Rakabe
4 min read
On balance, the varying spatial voter patterns and perceptions of government are perhaps indicative of positive experiences of rural voters under an ANC-led government, notwithstanding what others view as unforgivable failures.(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
2019 ELECTIONS

Don’t dismiss ANC’s rural voters as ignorant

Critics don’t understand why citizens in the poorest provinces would still back the ruling party

  • Eddie Rakabe
5 min read
Mine stumped: The tenacity of the Xolobeni community members won them a court decision; government cannot grant mining licences without consulting them first. Photo: Paul Botes
AMADIBA CRISIS COMMITTEE

Mine standoff is a licence to rethink laws

Government needs to respect the court ruling and the Xolobeni residents’ resistance to mining

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
At the end of October, the prudential authority applied to court to liquidate VBS. (Antonio Muchave)
MUNICIPAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT ACT

Allow local councils to do their fiscal duties

Top-down meddling by central government flouts the laws and spirit of multilevel democracy

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
A number of roadside jobseekers have not had any formal employment for many years and often retreat back to their villages when jobs are not forthcoming. (David Harrison/M&G)
ECONOMY

Formulate workable solutions to create and protect jobs

Laws must bring an end to workers’ exploitation

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
Rural people are dispossessed and displaced by companies that collect awards for ESG credentials, corporate social investment and sector excellence. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
EASTERN CAPE

Rural areas need change of mind-set

Densification of the towns would improve service delivery and local business should be stimulated

  • Eddie Rakabe
5 min read
The thousands of existing outstanding land claims can serve as a useful starting point for land expropriation
CONSTITUTION

Development key to effective land reform

Secure tenure in rural areas, access to urban land and educating new farmers will help policy succeed

  • Eddie Rakabe
4 min read
ACCELERATED SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY INITIATIVE

Build co-operation into school sector

Streamlined delivery chains are needed, as is the ability to construct safe infrastructure

  • Eddie Rakabe
6 min read
The movement of children from ‘rural’ provinces to Gauteng and the Western Cape makes planning difficult for these provinces.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Admission patterns plague schools

Understanding migration and age dynamics can address placement problems

  • Eddie Rakabe
5 min read