As coalition discussions intensify, the party could end up making significant policy concessions to navigate South Africa’s uncertain future
And there are fewer journalists to hold policymakers accountable for this decline
In this instalment of The Fiscal Cliff – a Mail & Guardian series on how South Africa’s budget has been shaped – Sarah Smit considers the intimate link between the country’s ultra-high unemployment rate and austerity
The journey to full-blown austerity is marked by changes to an economy presided over by a government adrift
Ten years after its adoption, the government has failed to achieve the targets set out in the National Development Plan. Looming spending cuts will render the NDP even more futile
The country’s biggest city will continue to grow as people seek jobs and a better life. But a ‘resentment’ towards urbanisation has prevented the government from unlocking its economic opportunities
The recent rand crash has led some to believe another 50 basis point rise is on the horizon, despite a view that further hiking will do little to tame inflation
The drama at Dis-Chem shows that many firms are declining to transform because they can
It’s not sustainable for every employed person to support three others, analysts say
Last month’s budget was positive about the trajectory of the economy but near-term growth projection are only slightly higher than during South Africa’s darkest years
Privatisation stands to deepen inequalities. But some experts say collaboration between business and government can work in everyone’s interest
Beset by political instability, the region is also the canary in the climate change coal mine
Experts’ strategies for fixing the unemployment crisis range from devaluing the rand to a universal income grant or accepting debt from loans
Given the slow pace of change in mining and other sectors, some analysts have raised concerns that the ruling will cause empowerment efforts to unravel
The latest unemployment figures show deepening joblessness and continuous setbacks
All indicators, including the employment statistics released this week show how black women bear the brunt of unemployment. Here are their stories
It is becoming clear SA needs a BIG, as many ANC cabinet members, opposition parties and experts agree. But there is still dissent from some quarters
The finance minister has said it’s not an austerity project. But the numbers and economists disagree
2020 was a challenging year for everybody, with no growth forecast in the economy, fears of a deep recession and a jobs bloodbath. Three experts contextualise this situation, focusing on what can be done in 2021 to slow down the spiral into an economic abyss
Government, labour, business and community have come up with a combined economic recovery plan amidst three others to help kickstart the economy. Some are new, while others are old and falter in not taking into account the ‘new normal’
Over the past decade there have been 1 127 publicly announced black economic empowerment deals worth R232,6-billion, according to Ernst & Young. At the end of May, the JSE Securities Exchange had a market capitalisation of R2 800-billion. The black equity in the above companies is 0,36% of the market total. It can safely be assumed that the total is less than 1% of the JSE’s market capitalisation.
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/ 13 October 2004
Two months ago, Safika deputy chairperson Saki Macozoma offered a feeble defence against charges of enrichment levelled by black people against himself and his fellow black economic empowerment oligarchs, for want of a better word, such as Patrice Motsepe, Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa. Until now, I have resisted participating in what has been a futile and sterile debate about enrichment versus empowerment.
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/ 17 September 2004
"Like many people in black business, I cannot help but suspect that the attempt by Transnet CEO Maria Ramos to present evidence of her predecessors’ incompetence is little more than an attempt to create a compelling rationale for the public to support sweeping changes at the transport and logistics company." The Transnet CEO manufactured a problem so she could get rid of the former board, argues Duma Gqubule.