In his 2017/18 budget speech, South Africa’s finance minister Pravin Gordhan opted to focus on taxing high income earners to find desperately needed money.
President Jacob Zuma and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. Gordhan is standing firm against any political pressure.
Flickr/GovernmentZA
South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, downplayed the topic of energy in his budget speech. There is good that can be taken from this.
Workers at Medupi coal-fired power station during its construction, one of South Africa’s most costly and environmentally unfriendly projects.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
In preparing the 2017 national budget South Africa needs to take heed of warnings that its historical austerity measures are hurting the poor and even costing lives.
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan, his deputy Mcebisi Jonas, and Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago.
GCIS
The decision to give former Eskom CEO, Brian Molefe, a seat in the country’s parliament comes with the potential to cause great economic pain for South Africa.
President Jacob Zuma delivers his state of the nation address in Cape Town. Critics say he failed to galvanise the nation.
Reuters/Sumaya Hisham
South African President, Jacob Zuma, wasted lots of time and space in cheap politicking instead of galvanising South Africans to work together for a better future.
South Africa’s Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan flanked by his deputy Mcebisi Jonas and Director-General Lungisa Fuzile.
GCIS
A lot more goes into the making of South Africa’s final national budget than many people realise. The process involves extensive legalities designed to ensure public oversight.
An ill Anna Bosigo is fed by volunteer worker Lydia Mbhalo in the Orange Farm township, south of Johannesburg.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
Social welfare budgets have simply not been adequate to plug decades’ worth of under-resourcing, especially in black communities. It’s a good place for government to start giving life to its slogans
President Jacob Zuma delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Sumaya Hisham/Reuters
South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, promised radical economic transformation in his 2017 state of the nation address. A lot of what he said in support of this promise is alternative facts.
South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has a tough job of rekindling a weak economy.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
With stalled economic growth and threats of credit rating downgrade, South Africa’s 2017/18 budget will need to dig deep to foster recovery.
South Africans queue to vote in the 2016 municipal elections. The governing ANC is accused of wanting to generate ‘fake news’ to influence voters.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
The planting of messages and countering narratives in the media is not new. It’s part and parcel of contemporary politics especially during elections. The internet simply makes an old problem worse.
It is common to reduce the politics of the ANC to a battle between personalities. A closer look suggest that this is a fight between two factions, both of them products of trends in the economy.
The South African economy just narrowly escaped a credit rating downgrade but it is not in the clear yet.
Reuters
South Africa is breathing a sigh of relief after escaping a credit rating downgrade. But there are still serious concerns around structure of the country’s economy and finances.
South African President Jacob Zuma. He has survived a bid to have him removed and might strike back.
Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters
All eyes are on the next move from President Jacob Zuma after he survived a bid from senior ANC colleagues to remove him. The fallout is expected to be focused on the economic cluster of government.
The ANC got rid of one president , Thabo Mbeki (right) in 2008. The groundswell against incumbent Jacob Zuma is growing.
Mike Hutchings/Reuters
The fallout at the meeting of South Africa’s governing ANC clearly exposed how the party’s factionalism has spilled over into government. This is likely to paralyse governance even further.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. His supporters within the African National Congress continue to hold sway, for now.
EPA/Aaron Ufumeli
A revolt within the African National Congress against South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has reached new heights. He has survived, but the repercussions will be felt for some time to come.
South Africa faces a possible downgrade by credit rating agencies.
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Credit ratings have an impact on government, as well as ordinary people. This article was first published last year as South Africa faced a possible downgrade.
South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is fighting to stave off a downgrade by ratings agencies.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
South Africa has made some progress in fixing problems identified by ratings agencies. But there are a number of outstanding issues that might mean the country is given ‘junk’ status.
South Africa’s currency, the rand, has been highly volatile recently.
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