Tag: State Owned Enterprise (SOE)

Certain senior politicians seem to have a misapprehension of how business rescue works in South Africa, particularly as it regards the situation at South African Airways (SAA). Some within the ruling party recently indicated that government will intervene to 'retain the [sic] SAA as a state-owned enterprise'. This cannot legally be done.

As we approach Budget Speech Day on 26 February 2020, many people are wondering what kind of rabbit Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is going to pull out of his hat this year. Most commentators will talk about ‘bracket-creep’, sin taxes and an increase of 1% to the VAT rate. But the Minister needs to start becoming a little more creative.

One of the elephants in the room at this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) was the conspicuous absence of any mention of the need to appoint the right people to the boards of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

As most South Africans eagerly awaited some reprieve from a year of constant and negative bombardment, be this over matters such as a massively contracted economy, rising unemployment, state capture, rising corruption and the threat of expropriation of property without compensation, many had hoped to return from their annual vacation rested, and hopeful to hear some positive news. This did not happen.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 26th State of the Nation address – full text.

Tonight President Cyril Ramaphosa will rise in Parliament to review the current State of the Nation, and to indicate what he will be doing over the next 12 months to steer South Africa through the very troubling waters the country is currently in.

Government intervention in the economy simply does not work. It is a mystery, then, why so many otherwise intelligent people keep calling for more of the same. After years of low growth (12 years now) concurrent with government fiscal deficits and various stimulus packages, we are now faced with retrenchments across the economy. The latest of which is Massmart announcing that it is considering retrenching 1,400 people.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) directors should reread the personal liability sections in S45 in the Companies Act 2008 (the Act) before extending any further largesse to SA Express Airways (SAX).

Finance minister Tito Mboweni’s new economic strategy paper is a refreshing, much needed breath of fresh air for an economy struggling for oxygen. The paper is replete with common sense proposals all aimed at achieving the economic growth South Africa desperately needs. We have been stumbling along a low-growth path of high taxes, kilometres of red-tape, wealth redistribution, and anti-individualism for far too long. If Mboweni’s paper can be taken as a true step in a new direction, a direction of more individual freedom, South Africa will see green shoots of recovery almost immediately.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, during his address at The Directors Event in Sandton, highlighted the issue of board and other leadership appointments in the public sector.