The ANC remains committed to ideas and policies that will further extend the mixing of state with party.
The Presidency says US allegations that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia is concerning. Ambassador Reuben Brigety says there is proof a Russian ship docked in Simon's Town left with ammunition. For more, we are joined by Chris Hattingh, from the Centre for Risk Analysis.
A lack of road expansion will result in congestion and limited mobility, translating into serious costs for the economy.
Having said that, it is paramount to understand that while there is an urgent need for reform in South Africa's public health system, the NHI's primary goal is not to enhance healthcare, but rather to extend state control over all aspects of healthcare to a minute level.
Since the beginning of 2023, there has been only a single 24-hour period free of rolling blackouts in South Africa,” wrote CRA director Chris Hattingh. “Eskom’s latest energy outlook [up to March 20] suggests this is likely to continue, with the state electricity company being unable to meet the demand for electricity during any week through to at least March 2024.
The Head of Policy Analysis at the Centre for Risk Analysis Chris Hattingh told BizNews that South Africa was playing with fire and says buzzwords like non-alignment and neutrality might not be enough for Western nations to continue giving South Africa access to their markets through agreements like the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
In this week's newsletter from the Centre For Risk Analysis, we look at the current state of healthcare in South Africa.
SA could pursue state support for certain industries or goods on a carefully considered and precise basis.
Centre For Risk Analysis analyst, Gerbrandt van Heerden expands on the failures of affirmative action policies in Malaysia, and warns of the possibility of similar consequences in South Africa.
SA’s risk premium has increased exponentially over the last few years. The government’s preference for control was most recently concretised in the signing into law of the Employment Equity Amendment Bill, indicating a preference for even more state power over the economy and society.
His sentiments were echoed by Centre for Risk Analysis policy analyst Chris Hattingh, who said that while a total grid collapse was improbable, it was not impossible. He said the effects of load shedding had already been devastating.
The state has fumbled South Africa’s crises, Hattingh said, citing its decision to roll back a national state of disaster declared in response to the electricity crisis “with nothing to show for it,” as well as plans to temporarily exempt Eskom from disclosing irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Eskom and Transnet exemptions have more to do with influence and cadre deployment than solving a crisis.
Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ Bill condemned.
Couched in the language of revolution, the EFF must rely on events such as ‘national shutdowns’ to both test the general national mood of political change, and to try and figure out where its own support levels lie.
Forced dependence upon meagre handouts cannot be seen as anything but a tragedy.
Is a national shipping company good or bad news for the South African economy and trade in general? CHRIS HATTINGH has his doubts about whether it can be a positive development…
The SARB’s 0.3% GDP growth estimate reinforces the fact that South African businesses and citizens need to prepare accordingly for yet more tough times ahead.
CRA’s Gerbrandt Van Heerden speaks on ENCA about school vouchers.
If outages continue at those levels, said Chris Hattingh, head of policy analysis at the Centre for Risk Analysis, South Africa’s GDP growth this year will likely be capped at 1.5%.
The most severe power cuts ever experienced in South Africa are threatening food and water supplies and disrupting the lives of millions of people, including chicken farmers.
In July last year, the government outlined a ten-point power plan to address power cuts. Some of the details included buying power from independent producers, scrapping licensing requirements for private energy projects, and 'importing' electricity from Botswana and Zambia. South Africa then went on to have its worst year of blackouts to date, around 200 days. Right now, the situation doesn't look like it will get any better. Let's find out what went wrong with Senior Research at the Centre of Risk Analysis, Chris Hattingh.
That bureaucracy and regulatory confusion are stifling the training of specialist nurses in SA bodes ill for the planned National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.
Although it’s a constitutional responsibility of the state to ensure that the country is secure, the paradoxical reality of South African citizens staying on while things fall apart is to make sure that they are “state secure”, says Chris Hattingh from the Centre for Risk Analysis (CRA).
But despite these utterances and desires, it is unclear how precisely expanding the central bank’s mandate – to, for example, dictate looser monetary policy and lower interest rates (in a higher inflation context) – will cure the myriad ideological and policy wounds the governing party has inflicted on the economy.
All in all a dynamic environment for the foreseeable future but with adversity comes opportunity and taking on these challenges is part of South Africa’s DNA, especially if businesses, communities, and civil society organisations can work together.
That SA is one of the countries cited as a potential drag on the Sub-Saharan African region’s growth prospects for 2023 stands to reason given the ideological and policy constraints imposed on the country’s potential by the government.
Little chance of a decent return if private companies get only two years to operate on SOE-controlled lines.
It is also vital to bear in mind that Eskom’s problems effectively act as a hard cap on South Africa’s growth potential.
Private sector investment, not a national shipping company, will solve the problems of dysfunctional rail network.