[Letter] Bailout won’t fix Transnet
Another proposed bailout for Transnet is unlikely to fix its fundamental operational and management problems, and will undermine hard-won government fiscal credibility.
[Letter] Expropriation Act could be a killer blow
Dilution of property rights amounts to a spectacular own goal
[Opinion] CHRIS HATTINGH: Donald Trump’s early signals for US-SA trade
In addition to the new trade review instructions implemented by Trump, the bipartisan US-SA Bilateral Review Act could be revived
[Opinion] South Africa’s trade growth opportunity
With load-shedding seemingly a thing of the very recent past (load-limiting remains in place, and load-shedding could return when Eskom takes more of the coal fleet offline for maintenance), the major binding constraint on South Africa’s growth potential is the consistently awful performance of the country’s ports and railways.
[Opinion] The Transnet imperative
Of all the vertically and horizontally integrated freight and ports companies that have existed in the world, Transnet is the last remaining of its kind. While there have been talks and nominal moves towards breaking up at least parts of Transnet’s various operations and introducing private sector investment and competition, these have not yet been made a reality.
[Opinion] Not in SA’s favour to pull up the drawbridge
Should US president-elect Donald Trump’s new administration succeed in implementing a raft of higher tariffs on imports, and generally place the US on a more protectionist trade and economic footing, developing economies such as SA will need to weather higher prices, more restricted and hobbled global trade flows, and the effects of a stronger dollar.
[Opinion] Why Kganyago’s stingy rate cut was exactly right
The Reserve Bank barely moved last week, cutting interest rates by just 25 basis points. Analysts have rounded on governor Lesetja Kganyago for being too coy – but it was exactly the tonic.
[Audio] SWAPO faces it's toughest test as Namibia heads for crucial elections
Voters in Namibia will go to the polls on WEDNESDAY (27 November) to choose their next president and parliamentary representatives. The elections come after President Hage Geingob died in February and was replaced on a interim basis by his deputy, Nangolo Mbumba. The election could mark a historic shift in the country's political landscape if the ruling SWAPO party, in power since independence in 1990, loses control of the presidency or parliament for the first time. The president is directly elected by voters and needs to garner more than 50% of votes to win. Support for SWAPO dropped from 87% in the presidential election in 2014 to 56% in 2019.To look at these crucial elections Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Carika Middelberg, an analyst from the Centre for Risk Analysis