CLOSED SHOP

The objection lodged by Eskom’s distribution unit to the issuance of licences to private traders in areas where it currently holds a licence has sent shockwaves through the nascent industry (see... 

NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

Municipal electricity distributors are facing a perfect storm of rising wholesale electricity tariffs, falling demand from affluent households and businesses that have invested in rooftop... 

GROWTH LEVER

There are indications that the Presidency and the National Treasury would like the next phase of Operation Vulindlela to move beyond a focus on binding constraints, such as loadshedding and a... 

CHAIRS AT THE TABLE

South Africa’s government of national unity is unquestionably the best outcome from what was a potentially treacherous political moment. Given the number of issues and interests at stake, it is... 

ACTION POTION

To succeed, the government of national unity will be a case of ongoing negotiation and daily give and take. It will be crucial, therefore, that visible progress be made where there is either full... 

HIGH-WIRE ACT

The maturity shown by South Africa’s political parties following what was the country’s most competitive elections since the advent of democracy was truly impressive. The fact that a government of... 

PORT PRESSURES

The World Bank Port Index, which ranked South African ports near to the bottom of the global pile, is backward-looking and is, thus, not fully reflective of recent efforts made to address... 

COALITION ANGST

Coalitions were always the most likely scenario for a country that selects political representatives using a system based on proportional representation. Nevertheless, actually moving from a... 

TARIFF THREAT

The reforms under way in the freight rail sector are advancing at an impressive clip and should soon open the system to new private operators. However, there are warnings of a prohibitively high... 

AFTER THE STORM

The election storm, which has just past, carried with it developments that were at times entertaining, at times revealing and at times downright disconcerting. Now that it has passed, attention... 

DEVASTATING

The deadly collapse of a building in George while under construction is simply devastating for the families of the workers who perished. It has also raised a number of questions about the state –... 

THE OTHER POLL

There has been much discussion about South Africa’s attractiveness to investors following BHP’s bid for Anglo American’s non-South African assets and confirmation that Shell will be disinvesting... 

HEAT IS ON

Reaction to BHP’s bid price for Anglo American may be cool, but it has definitely ignited renewed interest in mega mining mergers. It has also brought to the fore the importance of copper to the... 

COALITION MATHS

With the polls suggesting that the African National Congress is unlikely to secure an outright majority in this year’s election, much attention is being given to coalition politics. While this is... 

STILL FLYING

Years of State capture, corruption and ongoing crime and violence have left deep scars and have taken most of the gloss of any celebrations marking 30 years of democracy. Nevertheless, South Africa... 

STORM WARNING:

The storms that lashed the Cape earlier this month caused devastating damage, with many still picking up the pieces. One can only hope that the coming election storm is far more benign, but some of... 

UNDERWHELMED

While voters will receive three quite different looking ballots on May 29, this seeming increase in choice is not necessarily translating into greater excitement. Yes, some independents will... 

SHOCKING

As expected, stakeholder responses to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s gas-heavy Integrated Resource Plan 2023 has been far from complementary. While still a draft, some... 

WATER WORRIES

Gauteng’s three metropolitan councils are now failing regularly to ensure that their residents and businesses have a constant supply of water. The massive outages in March brought to the fore not... 

EXTREME PRESSURE

The Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry has thrown some light on the existential crisis being faced by South Africa’s media. Part of the problem lies in the weak... 

GAS CLIFF

Warnings of a gas day zero in 2026 are alarming, but not new. There has however, been very little progress on possible remedies. Disputes over gas pricing have arguably made cooperation difficult,... 

LOADSHEDDING GRIEF

There is grave peril in forecasting any improvement to the loadshedding outlook, as President Cyril Ramaphosa found recently when Eskom declare Stage 6 days after he suggested in his State of the... 

OWN GOALS

The 2024 Budget has, once again, highlighted what happens when government scores one own goal after another. True, there have been some disruptive external shocks, most recently the Covid lockdowns... 

HANGING ON

HANGING ON: There was a near audible sigh of relief when ArcelorMittal South Africa announced a six-month deferral to its plan to close its loss-making long-products business. While the group sees... 

BUDGETARY MAZE

It is now almost impossible to remember a time when commentators were not describing the South African Budget as the most difficult ever for a post-apartheid Finance Minister to navigate. Given... 

ADDING CAPACITY

Concerns over under-investment into South Africa’s electricity grid have come to the fore strongly in recent years, with the lack of connection capacity having already prevented the construction of... 

ADMINISTRATIVE KNOT

The continued growth and development of South Africa’s mining industry is stated policy. Sustaining the sector’s jobs, tax and export contribution requires ongoing exploration and development.... 

THE WORLD VOTES

Countries making up over 60% of the world's economic output and more than half of its population hold elections this year, including South Africa. While this should be a sign that democracy is... 

LONG SHADOW

It is difficult to argue against the principles underpinning the National Health Insurance Bill, approved by lawmakers late last year. As with all legislative interventions, however, the devil is... 

NOWHERE TO HIDE

2023 has been a difficult year for South Africans. Besides being the worst-ever year yet for growth-sapping and jobs-destroying loadshedding, the years of corruption and mismanagement at Transnet... 

GRIEF & ANGER

The most recent bout of Stage 6 loadshedding by Eskom was not only a reminder that South Africa is far away from truly tackling the scourge, with the current focus on fixing Eskom in preference to... 

COSTLY CONGESTION

The pile-up of ships outside South African ports is a costly reminder of the risks associated with mismanagement and corruption at a State-owned monopoly. Some vessels have been left at anchorage... 

UNJUST EXECUTIONER

While politicians often have an uncomfortable relationship with the truth, there was once a time when their commentary at least arose from a common set of facts. No longer. ANC secretary-general... 

FESTIVE CARTON

With millions of chickens having been killed over the past few months in response to an outbreak of avian flu, supplies of eggs have run low and prices have spiked. So precious have eggs become... 

FIGHTING FIRES

As has been the case for several years and with several of his predecessors, South Africa’s poor growth rate continues to act as the main constraint in enabling Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to... 

FOUR THE PEOPLE

Given how divisive both rugby and the Springboks were in the not-so-distant past, it is quite remarkable that the national team has become such a unifying force when divisions are growing in so... 

DOG WHISTLER

With no sense of irony, Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe continues to champion gas exploration and development while fighting internal Cabinet power struggles using the analogy... 

RED CARD

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), which is meant to support workers who lose their jobs, stands accused of serious foul play, with organised business and labour having both called for the fund... 

FALLING SHORT

The day after the National Development Plan was officially launched on August 15, 2012, was one of the darkest in South Africa’s history and the darkest since the advent of democracy. On August 16,... 

EXTREME FORECAST

As South Africa’s 2024 election approaches, the is a huge incentive for the incumbents to ramp-up spending and to announce new projects and initiatives. The problem they have this time round is...