Stanlib

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…

Today, as the country awaits the next update on the state of its public purse, the prospect of a debt crisis seems more imminent than before. This is as South Africa’s fiscal…

Mining windfall helped SA’s financial position, but lower revenues and additional spending will delay the end of fiscal consolidation

A bigger alliance will give the group extra economic heft, but it remains to be seen whether its members can speak in one voice

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 currency, which is usually a bellwether for other emerging markets, has diverged from global trends – thanks in large part to the energy crisis

Any gains made at the beginning of the year could be undone as the protests and the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown threaten business confidence

Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago makes a case for a lower target, though the trade union federation prefers job creation

The already turbulent labour market could see more strain if aspiring students lose out

But the country’s GDP growth in the fourth quarter of last year shows positive signs of recovery, at 6.3%

VAT should not be hiked, but a once-off levy on mineral resources or a solidarity tax seems likely

The country’s economy grew at an annualised rate of 66.1%, marking the strongest pace of expansion since at least 1993

The gross domestic product numbers are likely to be gloomy, but the economy is not at ground zero

The South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee has unanimously decided to reduce the repo rate by 25 basis points, to 6.25%. This is the rate at which the bank lends…

The pressure on Eskom bonds has eased and the rand has rallied but global events can reverse the gains