June 04
South Africa: Minister Ebrahim Patel Was Right About Some Things, If Not All
While his ideas were sound, it can be argued that his way of applying economic principles -- through dogged negotiations and a tendency towards micromanagement -- could have been… Read more »
South Africa: Two Men Criminally Charged for Trying to Violently Force the Closure of Mthatha Airport
Two men who were part of a group trying to forcefully close the Mthatha Airport during last week's violent taxi strike appeared in court on Monday. They were charged with attempted… Read more »
South Africa: KZN Tornado Death Toll Rises to 11 As Relief Efforts Continue
Communities and relief organisations are providing hot meals, shelter and medical assistance to hundreds of people displaced by the two tornados that tore through KwaZulu-Natal on… Read more »
South Africa: After the Bell - Fiscal Dysfunctionality, Not Austerity, Got the ANC Into This Jam
One of the many problems with SA's political crisis is that it is generating a false narrative about the relationship between economics and politics. Clearly, SA's economy is in… Read more »
South Africa: KZN Tornado Terror - the Day a 'Snake in the Sky' Smashed Into Tongaat
Residents of Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, have described the terror they felt as a tornado tore through the area on Monday, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Read more »
South Africa: City of Tshwane Tables R50bn Budget Aimed At Improving Finances - Amid EFF Disruption
The indebted City of Tshwane has tabled its R50.6-billion budget aimed at turning its financial position around and improving the lives of its more than four million residents. Read more »
South Africa: Steinhoff and Access to Information - What's At Stake?
Do Steinhoff's private interests trump the public interest in knowing exactly what happened in South Africa's biggest corporate fraud? That's the question at the heart of our case… Read more »
South Africa: Which Political Coalitions Will Make the Most Logical Sense for South Africa?
The clock is ticking. The ANC has less than two weeks to form some kind of coalition to govern South Africa. We look at which parties make the best logical matches. Read more »
South Africa: The Second Coming - Comedians Rush to Respond to South Africa's New Political Reality
For the past 30 years, South Africa's political reality hasn't reflected the level of nuance and messiness that comes out through its comedy. We had a Ruling Party, with two… Read more »
South Africa: White Maize Supplies Remain a Critical Upside Risk to South Africa's Food Price Inflation
When viewed annually, the white maize harvest is down by 25%, with yellow maize down by 13% from the 2022/23 season. The expected harvest of 13.3 million tonnes is down by 19% from… Read more »
June 03
South Africa: Exclusive / ANC Discussion Documents Tabled Ahead of Power-Sharing Talks - One Favours ANC-DA-IFP
A Canadian- and Turkish-style 'confidence and supply' agreement -- where the ANC runs the executive and the DA and IFP (perhaps with the EFF) controls the legislature -- is… Read more »
South Africa: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone of World Finance - It's About to Become a Lot More Disorderly
What will happen if the current-account-surplus runners of the world collectively lose faith in the US bond market? Worst case would be a grand dislocation of the world's current… Read more »
South Africa: Democracy 2024 (Day Two) - 15 Days to Reshape a Country
Fikile Mbalula and David Makhura to lead ANC talks, with Joel Netshitenzhe likely a key wingman. Read more »
South Africa: Cannabis Sector On a High As New Weed Law Finally Enacted
The Cannabis for Private Purposes Act gives the green light to adults wanting to cultivate, possess and consume the herb for their private use. It also sees the automatic… Read more »
South Africa: Story of a Man Shot in the Head Is a Modern Parable for SA's Gun Fanatics
The life of a father to seven children changed irrevocably one night when he decided to grab a policewoman's firearm and her colleague shot him. As in all gun stories, there are no… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Win After Dismissing Sri Lanka for 77
EAST MEADOW, New York, June 3 (Reuters) - South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in their opening T20 World Cup group match on Monday after dismissing their Asian opponents… Read more »
South Africa: Bit Players in Digital Vibes Scandal On the Hook While the Big Fish Swim Free
However, the NPA says prominent individuals implicated in the R150m Digital Vibes scheme are still under investigation. Three years after the scandal was exposed, the prosecuting… Read more »
South Africa: Zuma Stole Malema's Thunder, Steenhuisen Sees Black, Zibi Steps Into a Cesspool
The biggest surprise of the election is that the EFF failed to breach the 20% mark that I envisaged; that MK did as well as they have, and that coloured politics is a thing -… Read more »
South Africa: Shell's Wild Coast Exploration Appeal Dismissed, but Rights Renewal Still Feasible
Organisations opposing Shell's oil and gas exploration off the Wild Coast were partly disappointed by a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on Monday. It upheld the urgent interdict… Read more »
South Africa: Cool Heads and Political Maturity Are Needed As We Enter This Volatile Period
With the ANC now holding only 159 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly, and assuming that the 87 DA MPs will not support a presidential candidate put forward by the EFF or MK,… Read more »
South Africa: TB Kills 148 South Africans Daily - Here's What We Need to Do Better to Eliminate It
Is there hope that we will be able to eliminate TB in South Africa? Thousands of scientists, researchers, academics, policymakers/government officials and members of civil society… Read more »
South Africa: After the Bell - the Rand Has Been Relatively Stable This Year, but Post-Election Horse-Trading Looms
The rand's ultimate course for the rest of 2024 will largely hinge on the government that emerges from the horse-trading that takes place in the coming days. Read more »
South Africa: Eskom's Barring of White 'African' Jobseeker Is Unfair Discrimination
The Labour Court has found that Eskom's not shortlisting a white candidate did not qualify as an affirmative action measure under the Employment Equity Act. Read more »
South Africa: How Zuma's MK Party Ruthlessly Outmanoeuvred the ANC in KZN
The MK party's rise in just six months from nowhere to winning the most votes in KZN in last week's general elections is unprecedented in SA politics. This is how it went down. Read more »
South Africa: Business Urges Cool Heads and Pro-Reform Attitude As South Africa Embraces New Era of Coalitions
Over the coming days, political parties will negotiate to form a coalition government. Business leaders have urged politicians to prioritise the 'interests of the entire country… Read more »