DRIP FED

The water crisis being experienced in many parts of South Africa, including in metropolitan areas of Gauteng, has replaced loadshedding is the biggest problem and anxiety confronting residents. But... 

BOARD FALLOUT

Developments at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, or Necsa, have been explosive of late. Disquiet, disagreements and even legal action over the way remuneration policies had been... 

SHOCKING

When the latest round of electricity tariffs were announced earlier this year, Eskom immediately raised questions about whether the methodology had been applied correctly. Once the reasons were... 

ON TRACK

Significant progress has been made in opening the Transnet rail network to private train operating companies (TOCs). Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has announced that 11 TOCs that applied... 

PERILOUS RIDE

While the US tariffs on automotives and automotive components have piled on the pressure, South Africa’s domestic industry is at a dangerous crossroads as it faces multiple threats. Besides a... 

SURGERY VS CONVENTION

It would be fantastic if, through dialogue, South Africans could genuinely unite behind a common vision and programme. However, the National Dialogue is at odds with the prevailing national mood,... 

TRADING SPACES

South Africa’s objective of diversifying its export markets in light of a rise in protection, prompted primarily by US President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, is a correct one.... 

HAIR RAISING

The impact of the tariffs being imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on most countries, including South Africa, will probably not be felt immediately. Over time, however, the costs to... 

REFORM WRANGLES

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso offered this scathing assessment of Transnet following a recent decision by S&P Global to downgrade its credit rating: “S&P is calling out what... 

FRAYING LINE

Recent developments in the South African Police Service and the political ecosystem that surrounds it are not entirely surprising. Organised syndicates that seem to abound locally will always seek... 

DIALOGUE KNOT

Few truly have much hope that the National Dialogue will yield the solutions needed to put out the fires associated with the country’s paltry growth and deep-rooted social problems. It has also now... 

WORRYING SIGNS

A recent Human Sciences Research Council survey showed that most adults are concerned that political parties are being influenced by donations from wealthy elites. This, despite low levels of... 

HOWZAT

South Africa’s Proteas made history at Lord’s in London last month when Temba Bavuma led his team to an historic victory over their Australian rivals, who were strongly favoured to win the one-off... 

FACTS & STATS

While it is not certain whether the renowned American writer Mark Twain really said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”, the following quote is also often attributed... 

FUTURE IMPERFECT

The immediate threat of the so-called ‘gas cliff’ may be mitigated through a proposed move by Sasol to divert some methane rich gas, produced synthetically from coal, to industrial consumers until... 

METRO MESS

For those living in South Africa’s largest cities, the latest report by the Auditor-General of South Africa was no surprise. Only the City of Cape Town received a clean audit, pointing to ongoing... 

CONFLICT & DRAMA

Reality shows such as Survivor and The Apprentice, which Donald Trump coproduced, thrive on conflict and drama. South Africans had a front row seat as the now President Trump turned his Oval Office... 

ON THE EDGE

South Africans have become almost numb to our extreme unemployment scourge. News about the latest deterioration in the official unemployment rate to 32.9% in the first quarter failed, therefore, to... 

TRADE TUSSLES

The most extreme tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on ‘Liberation Day’ have been paused and some bilateral ‘deals’ have been struck. Nevertheless, the trading environment is tighter... 

ACTION

It may be the third attempt, but crafting a Budget that meets the expansionary aspirations of some, the demands for cuts by others, while remaining within the debt limits desired by just about... 

NEW PERIL

South Africa was hoping to begin breaking free from its low-growth trap this year. It avoided what would have been another self-inflicted wound by allowing the spat over VAT to break up the... 

STEEL ECHOES

The similarities in the debate over the future of British Steel, in Scunthorpe, England, and ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Newcastle Works, in KwaZulu-Natal, are striking. While production and jobs... 

WREAKING HAVOC

WREAKING HAVOC: President Donald Trump’s supporters continue to insist he has a coherent and workable economic vision and plan. Economists are sceptical, however, and markets, which admittedly tend... 

EXTREME RIDE

Those in business who previously believed that President Donald Trump’s most extreme instincts would be tamed by stock market reactions and/or unfavourable polls have been rudely awakened by his... 

TARIFF WALL

Ahead of his first presidential term, Donald Trump campaigned on building a wall on the US-Mexico border that he insisted Mexicans would pay for. In his second, the US President is building tariffs... 

PRESSURE COOKER

Even those who claim to be “tuning out” for fear of “news burnout” are unconsciously aware that the world has entered a perilous new era. That’s not to say change is not needed as the world chafes... 

BRIGHT SPOT

The geopolitical tornados that arose in the run up to the US Presidential election last year have intensified in their ferocity since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. While peace talks... 

ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN

With US President Donald Trump having flip-flopped twice on his stated intention to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, markets continue to feel the effects of the uncertainty... 

HAT-TRICK

HAT-TRICK: South Africa’s fedora-wearing Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, was told to remove his value-added tax hiking hat by his Cabinet colleagues on February 19, leading to the abandonment... 

TARIFF OVERHANG

While economists are warning that President Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs are bad not only for world trade but for American consumers, the White House continues to see them as a core... 

PERFORMATIVE DISRUPTION

PERFORMATIVE DISRUPTION: The first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House have been accompanied by a paper whirlwind of executive orders, including one that... 

SHARPIE EDGE

As is the case for many countries currently, South Africa is living in the shadow of President Donald Trump and the sharpie he is using as part of his ‘flood the zone’ executive-order strategy.... 

BURNING PLATFORMS

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has an extremely full inbox. He is hoping (possibly against hope) to halt the closure by ArcelorMittal South Africa of its longs division. Tau is... 

SMOKE & FIRE

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s “smoke them out” comments in relation to illegal miners were not simply highly inappropriate for a Cabinet spokesperson but were, for many,... 

NEW ENTRANTS

With the publication of the long-awaited Network Statement in December, a bidding process is now under way for the first rail routes that have been made available for private train operating... 

CRYPTO RISING

Besides the re-election of Donald Trump and the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, the incredible performance of crypto currencies, led by Bitcoin, was big news last year. Crypto... 

LOOMING LARGE

There is no escaping the key geopolitical developments that shaped 2024 as the world enters 2025. The attritional war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, especially Gaza, will continue to... 

HARD TO READ

The world has entered a most uncertain period, with hot wars in hot-spot regions having resurrected the spectre of nuclear conflict. Disinformation has played a role in several political... 

TARIFF WALL

President Donald Trump did not build the wall on America’s southern border that he promised ahead of his first term. Nor did he get Mexico to pay for it. He seems strongly committed, however, to... 

LONG SHADOW

The election of Donald Trump as America’s next President did not come as a total surprise. Nevertheless, it is still sending global shockwaves that will be felt for at least the coming four years,...