Press freedom in SA |
| Published: 2010/08/10 |
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| Parliament is hearing evidence on a Bill on the protection of information. An ANC discussion paper on a media tribunal is circulating. The combined effect is a fiery debate about press freedom in SA. |
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Re-visiting the Ladder of Development |
| Published: 2010/07/13 |
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| In May 2004, when FIFA appointed SA the host of the 2010 Soccer Cup, and again in November 2006 in a road show to BoE clients, we evaluated SA’s hosting of the World Cup with reference to the “Ladder of Development” set out by the Japanese strategist Kenichi Ohmae. It is time to evaluate what we said then. |
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March to modernity – flaws and all |
| Published: 2010/06/08 |
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| What would you think of a country that has amassed forex reserves of more than $400 billion and rising? In a world of deficits and too much debt, it is certainly a nice bank balance to have. |
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Of BRICs and PIGS |
| Published: 2010/03/11 |
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| First there were the BRICs – Brazil, Russia, India and China. Emerging markets that are elbowing their way onto the global economic stage, chipping away at the dominance of the traditional developed countries (US, UK, EU). |
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Budget 2010 |
| Published: 2010/02/18 |
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| If I were Cosatu I would feel very unhappy, even betrayed. |
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Pres Zuma’s biggest challenge |
| Published: 2010/02/16 |
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| The stark reality facing SA in 2010 can be summarised in one word: unemployment. |
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December - myths about SA |
| Published: 2009/12/15 |
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| Following on last month’s Newsletter where we analysed the unemployment problem in SA, I want to explore the topic further by looking at the role of the public sector in unemployment relief. |
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How the nation is shaping up |
| Published: 2009/10/20 |
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| Starting 3 years ago, the Presidency annually releases a set of development indicators measuring how SA is shaping up. 76 indicators, grouped around ten areas of our national life, are measured and compared over time. |
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Strikes and unrest – SA’s winter of discontent. |
| Published: 2009/08/08 |
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| The combined effect of strikes and social unrest has attracted the attention of all, including the international news networks. Lets analyse them separately as they are driven by very different circumstances and causes. |
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Jobs and promises of jobs – beyond the noise. |
| Published: 2009/07/10 |
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| In his recent State of the Nation address pres Jacob Zuma promised that 500 000 “employment opportunities” would be created before the end of the year. |
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View from Abroad |
| Published: 2009/07/01 |
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| On a recent swing through London talking to analysts and journalists I was struck by how much people wanted SA to be a success. Not that SA is top of their minds with the global meltdown on the one hand and the shenanigans of British parliamentarians’ expense claims on the other. (The fury around the latter was quite palpable). |
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Three tasks |
| Published: 2009/06/09 |
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| What do the House of Lords and Old Mutual have in common? And how does that commonality influence investors? |
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The G20 was not a success |
| Published: 2009/04/07 |
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| The G20 meeting in London last week got a lot of coverage (fine), the IMF came out of it stronger (good), tax havens and hedge funds might be regulated a bit more stringently (probably good), but the critical problem of macro economic imbalances was not tackled (bad, very bad). |
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Budget 2009 |
| Published: 2009/03/24 |
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| Growth rate: predictions, guestimates and credibility |
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SA needs two agricultural policies |
| Published: 2009/02/26 |
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| The most recent agriculture census from Stats SA throws the spotlight on commercial agriculture in SA. |
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Politics and the Global Economic Crisis |
| Published: 2009/02/10 |
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| Within a week it has erupted all over. |
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The ANC’s Election Manifesto |
| Published: 2009/01/28 |
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| The manifesto sets five priorities for the next five years |
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What they have in common |
| Published: 2008/10/31 |
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| What do ANC youth leader Julius Malema, Wall Street bankers and South Africa’s Constitutional Court judges have in common? |
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Development takes time |
| Published: 2008/10/09 |
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| In 2007 in the run-up to the ANC conference at Polokwane a gogo got to her feet at an overwhelmingly pro-Thabo Mbeki meeting, and proposed Jacob Zuma as the presidential candidate. |
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Social Capital |
| Published: 2008/07/17 |
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| Thesis on social capital submitted for a M Phil in Futurestudies at the University of Stellenbosch, 2003.. |
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The discovery of diamonds, Judge Hlope and “kill for Zuma” |
| Published: 2008/07/07 |
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| What do the above have in common? The link between them lies in social capital. We can trace the link back over 140 years. |
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Social Capital |
| Published: 2007/06/19 |
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| In November the Economist published a ranking of democracies in the world. The ranking had 4 categories.... |
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