NE STEP FORWARD – TWO STEPS BACK On Monday 9 May South Africans heaved a collective sigh of relief because Moody’s had decided not to downgrade the South African sovereign credit rating to junk status. There was however a minor downgrade from Baa1 to Baa2. The outlook...

THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK  Responding to the debate on his budget in the National Assembly on Thursday 5 May 2016 President Zuma said the legislature had become a national embarrassment and demanded the Speaker bring it to order He carried on by saying that as...

QUO VADIS JACOB ZUMA AND THE ANC?   The definitive ruling of the Constitutional Court on Thursday will surely go down as the most significant rulings made in the South African democracy, it has set in stone the principle that “no one is above the law” not even the...

BUDGET 2016   When Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, delivered his Budget Speech in parliament on 24 February he was forced into a tight corner. Not only after being in office for some ten weeks he had the unenviable task of having to present a tough budget in an...

SONA AND BEYOND  The debacle at last year’s State on the Nation Address (SONA) set the scene for immense public interest in this year’s address. The fiasco in December when President Zuma appointed three Ministers of Finance in four days heightened public awareness of...

ZUMA - WHAT NEXT?   The Annual ANC NEC Legotla took place in Irene from 25 to 27 January. The Legotla is probably the most influential ANC gathering you can get. Those attending the Legotla include the top six officials, 80 NEC members, also the ANC Women’s and Youth...

WELCOME 2016  2016 has started off with the country in the throes of one of the worst droughts in recorded history, the annual average rainfall is the lowest in 112 years and the agricultural sector is clearly not going to produce sufficient food for home consumption...

THE YEAR IN REVIEW   As this year ends our economy is at its weakest in decades, with rising interest rates, worst-ever currency exchange rates and deplorably high unemployment, perceptions of corruption keeping investment out and stopping our economy growing. This is...