Tag: service delivery

The Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) 2020 was tabled to Parliament on 11 November 2021 by South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

Following the local government election, the focus now is on the potential coalitions. In numerous municipalities, including five of the metropolitan municipalities, no party was able to achieve more than 50%, thus triggering an intense and potentially heated negotiation with regard to possible coalition governments at a local level.

The past decade has not been easy for small and medium enterprise (SME) owners. GDP growth has been almost non-existent for most of the past ten years, and despite a widely held – and correct – belief that SMEs hold the keys to job creation and economic growth, they’ve largely been left to fend for themselves.

There will be no sudden arrival of the cavalry to rescue us and that will affect the socio-economic change South Africa needs anytime soon. The only solution going forward is private/public co-operation and, as harsh as the statement might seem, it’s necessary.

After months of managing the COVID-19 crisis, people and businesses are depending on the public sector to guide them through the next several months and possibly years of uncertainty. It’s time to capitalise on what’s been achieved via the new policies and service delivery models that were developed in response to the crisis.

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.

Reports of alleged corruption plaguing the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS), one of the vehicles being touted to administer the National Health Insurance (NHI) should not come as a surprise. We note with concern these reports, and stresses to both government and citizens the crucial lesson that must be learned from this scandal.

Nuts & Bolts is a book about hope; it is full of stories about real people and companies who are making a difference, with testimonies from entrepreneurs, experienced ecosystem builders and innovators. It captures deep insights, from the considerable time McLean has spent with entrepreneurs and innovators, on the importance of inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship, and provides a mix of global experiences and entrepreneurship narratives that eloquently sketch out the ‘nuts and bolts’ for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Government's first duty is to protect the rights of citizens. Instead, ours has prioritised yet another bailout of R10.5 billion for the failed South African Airways (SAA), with a further R6.5 billion in the pipeline. This while citizens die in hospitals lacking basic personal protective equipment, staff and oxygen supplies, and there remains no vaccine on the horizon.

South Africa’s access to healthcare and housing is 'increasingly deteriorating', according to the 2020 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG). The IIAG assesses governance in 54 African countries based on public goods and services that citizens have a right to expect from their governments, and the responsibility of a government to deliver.