Government pushing ahead with new state-owned company
The Department of Public Enterprises says that it is making progress with its plans to establish a centralised shareholding company to help it control existing state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the country. Intentions to establish this company – given the moniker ‘Holdco’ during these initial stages…
ANC proposes R350 basic income grant for South Africa
The ANC’s subcommittee on social transformation has published its discussion document outlining the key talking points and policies it believes should be carried forward in South Africa, ahead of the party’s national policy conference this weekend. Subcommittee chair, Lindiwe Sisulu said that the discussion paper…
Ramaphosa has a plan to revive South Africa’s economy – but there’s a snag
South Africa’s government sought a series of commitments by labor unions and business, ranging from lower entry-level wages to an agreement to boost investment, as part of a plan to revive the nation’s struggling economy. The proposals angered both parties because they contain stipulations they…
Major skills shortage looms for schools in South Africa
Almost half of South Africa’s teachers are going to have to retire in the next 10 years, says Julian Hewitt, chief executive officer of the educator bursary programme, the Jake Gerwell Fellowship. Speaking to 702, Hewitt said that the Department of Education’s payroll showed that…
Government is paying a premium to rent buildings it doesn’t use or need – and taxpayers are footing the bill
Public works minister Patricia de Lille has called on landlords in South Africa to assist the government in cutting one of the biggest sources of irregular expenditure – overinflated leases. Speaking at the first Landlords Conference held this week, De Lille pointed out that month-to-month…
South Africa’s white population continues to shrink
Statistics South Africa has published its mid-year population estimates for 2022, showing that the country’s population continues to grow – now estimated to be 60.6 million people. The country recorded a net increase of 640,070 people between estimates in 2021 and 2022, Stats SA said….
New laws proposed for South Africa – including the ‘two pot’ retirement system
The National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have published a range of draft tax bills for public comment. These include the 2022 draft Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill (2022 draft Rates Bill), the 2022 draft Revenue Laws…
ANC wants a wealth tax to pay for new basic income grant: report
The ANC says that a wealth tax is the preferred option to fund a basic income grant in South Africa. This was one of the key discussions at the party’s policy conference this weekend. Chair of the ANC’s economic transformation subcommittee, Mmamoloko Kubayi told the…
South African governing party retains key Ramaphosa graft reform
South Africa’s governing party rejected calls to review a so-called step-aside rule that compels indicted officials to step down from their roles. The decision at the African National Congress’s five-yearly policy conference is a setback for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s detractors. They’ve argued that the policy…
ANC proposes big changes for the Reserve Bank – including nationalisation
The ANC has doubled-down on a proposal that the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) mandate be changed – while the party also wants the nationalisation of the central bank to be accelerated. The party held its policy conference this weekend, where the topic of the…
South Africa ends daily Covid-19 stats reports
The Department of Health and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) will no longer issue the daily numbers of Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths due to a decrease in SARS-CoV-2 levels. This comes after the department and the NICD has been reporting Covid-19…
South Africa is facing another skills crisis
South Africa needs to increase the number of researchers and technicians it has at its disposal if it wants to remain globally competitive in innovation. This was one of the key issues raised in the 2022 South African Science, Technology And Innovation Indicators Report, published…