Tag: living standard

Infrastructure has been named a top priority for South Africa over the next few years as we seek to bounce back from global economic shocks such as the pandemic and war in Ukraine and refocus attention on promoting socio-economic development. 

The National Democratic Revolution (NDR) is the policy blueprint of the governing African National Congress (ANC)/South African Communist Party (SACP) alliance, who have been implementing it in different spheres for more than two decades.

As South Africans continue to suffer from numerous government failures, there is a small ray of hope emerging. The private sector is stepping up to do the job where they are allowed to do so. This is exemplified in three stories that came out in the first two weeks of June.

Rising costs of living and high levels of unemployment in an unpredictable economic landscape have turned traditional financial aspirations on their head as people desperately scramble to overcome short-term challenges at the cost of long-term investments.

People are worrying about a global recession and with good reason. But what if the factors driving rising prices are beyond the limits of policymakers’ control? I discuss what central bankers’ next move might be, what markets are pricing in and what the probability of a recession is.

Inflation has been making a comeback. Not so long ago, it had seemed that we had vanquished (at least in the developed world) this sneaky foe of long-term wealth creators everywhere, thanks to tightly controlled central bank policies and the wonders of inflation targeting.

Although it is famous among middle-class tourists for its exquisite beaches, life in the OR Tambo district municipality in the former Transkei is far from beautiful for its residents. The district is one of the most deprived places in the country. Barely 6% of homes have piped water while less than one in ten households have flush toilets.

Proposed changes to the Pensions Funds Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, which will allow retirement fund members to access a portion of their retirement savings in cash before retirement as a guarantee for a loan, should be viewed with caution.

While the past year has had many challenges, a positive outcome is that we have embraced technology and had our eyes opened to the possibilities of working outside a traditional office environment. For many people, daily commutes and in-person meetings have been relegated to the past – and this is just the beginning of a new era that builds on technology in novel and unanticipated ways.