ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN

With US President Donald Trump having flip-flopped twice on his stated intention to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, markets continue to feel the effects of the uncertainty... 

HAT-TRICK

HAT-TRICK: South Africa’s fedora-wearing Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, was told to remove his value-added tax hiking hat by his Cabinet colleagues on February 19, leading to the abandonment... 

TARIFF OVERHANG

While economists are warning that President Donald Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariffs are bad not only for world trade but for American consumers, the White House continues to see them as a core... 

PERFORMATIVE DISRUPTION

PERFORMATIVE DISRUPTION: The first few weeks of President Donald Trump’s second stint in the White House have been accompanied by a paper whirlwind of executive orders, including one that... 

SHARPIE EDGE

As is the case for many countries currently, South Africa is living in the shadow of President Donald Trump and the sharpie he is using as part of his ‘flood the zone’ executive-order strategy.... 

BURNING PLATFORMS

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has an extremely full inbox. He is hoping (possibly against hope) to halt the closure by ArcelorMittal South Africa of its longs division. Tau is... 

SMOKE & FIRE

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s “smoke them out” comments in relation to illegal miners were not simply highly inappropriate for a Cabinet spokesperson but were, for many,... 

NEW ENTRANTS

With the publication of the long-awaited Network Statement in December, a bidding process is now under way for the first rail routes that have been made available for private train operating... 

CRYPTO RISING

Besides the re-election of Donald Trump and the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, the incredible performance of crypto currencies, led by Bitcoin, was big news last year. Crypto... 

LOOMING LARGE

There is no escaping the key geopolitical developments that shaped 2024 as the world enters 2025. The attritional war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, especially Gaza, will continue to... 

HARD TO READ

The world has entered a most uncertain period, with hot wars in hot-spot regions having resurrected the spectre of nuclear conflict. Disinformation has played a role in several political... 

TARIFF WALL

President Donald Trump did not build the wall on America’s southern border that he promised ahead of his first term. Nor did he get Mexico to pay for it. He seems strongly committed, however, to... 

LONG SHADOW

The election of Donald Trump as America’s next President did not come as a total surprise. Nevertheless, it is still sending global shockwaves that will be felt for at least the coming four years,... 

SHOCK ABSORBER

Apart from Eskom itself, it will be one-way traffic when the National Energy Regulator of South Africa hosts public hearings into the State-owned utility’s latest revenue application between... 

GEO-JUGGLING

Hardly a week goes by without at least one headline pointing to an issue that could result in the collapse of the Government of National Unity (GNU), which has been widely welcomed at home and... 

INFLATION TARGET

South Africa’s official inflation-target band is 3% to 6%, but South African Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago has made it clear for some time now that his target is actually the mid-point. In... 

SORE THUMB

Business and the markets have reacted positively to South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU). Cooperation also seems to be the order of the day in many departments and provinces. South... 

NEW TARGET

There is scepticism about the current close relationship between government and organised business, but there is also broadbased acceptance that their collaborative efforts in the areas of Covid... 

HIGH-WIRE ACT

The lack of grid capacity has emerged as a key constraint to South Africa’s renewable-energy ambitions. While the National Transmission Company South Africa has a plan, it lacks the balance sheet... 

TARIFF TUG OF WAR

With the official release of Eskom’s allowable revenue application, which confirms that it is indeed seeking a hefty 36% hike next year, all eyes will now turn to the National Energy Regulator of... 

FISSION AGAIN

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is the latest government champion of nuclear. He has described opposition to the technology as unscientific and has insisted that South... 

GROWTH RETHINK

A combination of external shocks and internal own goals has left South Africa in a low-growth trap. With the Government of National Unity now prioritising inclusive growth, organised business... 

WRECKING BALL

Extortion rackets are in the news, but construction sites have for too long been especially vulnerable to so-called business forums, who greedily distort well-intentioned localisation policies to... 

TARIFF TUSSLE

South Africans are gearing up for another hostile round of public hearings into Eskom’s revenue application for the coming three financial years. Most of the attention will be on the potential for... 

MAYORAL CHAIRS

There has been little public enthusiasm shown following the election of Dada Morero as Johannesburg’s mayor for a second stint. He is the eleventh mayor since 2016 and the city has become the... 

ORANGE SQUEEZE

South Africa has, for the first time, requested the establishment of two dispute panels under the World Trade Organisation’s dispute settlement system to review measures affecting the import of... 

ADDED PRESSURE

The world has become a true pressure cooker both geo-politically and in the domain of domestic politics. The deadly drums of war can be heard across several regions, elections are often not only... 

DEMOCRATIC RELAY

Races have not been confined to the Olympic tracks, fields and pools this year, with nearly 100 countries having also held elections. Many of these polls have been highly competitive and... 

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...