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Mail & Guardian

Economic Stimulus

latest news & developments
EFF president Julius Malema.
ANC

EFF pushes its alternative budget, demands reform

The party has proposed a R512.8bn revenue strategy and refuses to agree to a VAT increase

  • Mandisa Makgakga
7 min read
The South African Reserve Bank is likely to hold interest rates unchanged
BUSINESS

Reserve Bank expected to cut rates by 25 basis points this week

A third consecutive interest rate cut will help stimulate the economy, but the central bank will also be cautious about inflation pressures

  • Aarti Bhana
4 min read
AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA

‘Localisation, localisation, localisation’: Ramaphosa delivers a business-friendly Sona

The president’s focus is on fixing the economy — infrastructure build and local manufacturing are two priority areas

  • Tshegofatso Mathe
4 min read
There are many reasons to pursue a Great Reset, but the most urgent is Covid-19. The pandemic has already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths; it represents one of the worst public-health crises in recent history. And, with casualties still mounting in many parts of the world, it is far from over.
CLIMATE CRISIS

It’s time for a Great Reset of capitalism

The Covid-19 pandemic provides a chance to reflect on, reimagine and reset the global economic system

  • Klaus Schwab
5 min read
The expansion of social grants has been one of the most significant redistributive measures in democratic South Africa. Grants now support millions of children, older persons, and people with disabilities. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
CAPITEC BANK

The crisis can ‘galvanise all of us to eradicate inequality’

To lessen the damage being wrought by the lockdown, the coronavirus budget mixed increased grants with more money for infrastructure and to keep businesses

  • Thando Maeko
  • Tshegofatso Mathe
5 min read
Hard choices: President Cyril Ramaphosa visits Pampierstad (above) during the ANC’s 108th anniversary celebrations. In Kimberley, about 100km away, he spoke of the poverty, which mirrors South Africa’s ‘inability to transform the economy in the past 25 years’. (Masi Losi)
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

A chance to ‘reimagine South Africa’

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to announce the government’s long-awaited economic stimulus plan to deal with the effects of Covid-19. The key will be getting loans for a…

  • M&G Reporters
11 min read
Last resort: The World Bank, seen in discussion above, in 2013. (Stephen Jaffe/IMF/Getty Images)
BAN KI MOON

How do we get beyond ‘business as usual’ after the pandemic?

Charles Eisenstein’s book, Sacred Economics, offers some practical alternatives to neoliberal capitalism

  • Bert Olivier
9 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa will appear before the Zondo commission for four days in late April, to testify both in his capacity as president of the country and as president of the ANC. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
CORONAVIRUS

‘We must not be complacent’ — Ramaphosa extends lockdown by two weeks

President Cyril Ramaphosa extends the national lockdown by another two weeks to curb new Covid-19 infections, assuring South Africans that some businesses will be allowed to…

  • Paddy Harper
3 min read