| 28 November 2021 Politicsweb Govt’s current policies provoke mutually reinforcing debt and poverty traps What is the likelihood that over 50% of black South Africans will be poor fifty years after apartheid’s demise? Without sharp policy pivots, this tragic outcome will soon become unavoidable. Taking stock Our economic perspectives are shaped by market moving metrics.…Continue reading Will SA’s future be bleak or prosperous?

22 NOVEMBER 2021 Business Day Can environmental, social & governance (ESG) investors unclog SA’s growth impediments? The potential is high, but the industry’s strengths are both a blessing and a hindrance. CFOs and asset managers seek to maximise probability-adjusted discounted free cash flows. This tool grounds the finance profession, thus promoting intense analytical rigour. The…Continue reading Conditions are right for SA to become a global ESG leader

Nov 15, 2021 Daily Friend How should South Africans interpret Elon Musk suggesting he would give the UN six billion dollars if it knew how to end poverty? A best-case interpretation would be that Musk’s conditional offer is a prelude to his announcing a plan to end poverty. While this is neither preposterous nor likely,…Continue reading Musk and do-gooders versus doers

An integrated global economy has emerged that has pummelled poverty since the Berlin Wall fell 18 NOVEMBER 2021  “Localisation” policies are evidence of an outright rejection of the reforms that businesses and investors need to spur high growth (“At last, some localised competition for Patel’s policies”, November 17). Once the Cold War ended, supply chain…Continue reading LETTER: Economy is out of sync with global success drivers

17 NOVEMBER 2021 Many astute commentators have said the DA is weaker due to Helen Zille and John Steenhuisen’s leadership (“Deadlock raises odds of unstable metros after coalition talks fall apart”, November 16). However, to reach this conclusion, in my opinion one has to substantially disregard the importance of the DA rejecting racial quotas. That the…Continue reading LETTER: Pragmatic policies now plausible

There have been harsh trade-offs and unintended consequences, with low-income households often suffering most 05 NOVEMBER 2021 Business Day Many people want their investments to help make the world a better place. How could that not be a good thing? Trillions of dollars keep pouring into environmental, social & governance (ESG) funds that seek to advance…Continue reading From pricing securities to managing ESG investments — a changing industry

 -Nov 1, 2021 Daily Friend The marginalisation of most of our young adults is neither economically viable nor morally defensible. It reflects two forms of elitism.  The same evidence which justifies BIG programmes on humanitarian grounds also signals a nation destabilising. When reaching thirty without ever having been employed becomes routine, much of the damage…Continue reading BIG programmes follow from elitism

-Oct 18, 2021 Daily Friend Suppose that rather than racing to commercialise space tourism, Musk, Bezos and Branson were competing to create jobs in South Africa. The term, ‘conspicuous consumption’, was coined by sociologist Thorstein Veblen to describe seemingly irrational displays of wealth. He argued that there were benefits to such flaunting and that extreme…Continue reading Billionaire contest

-Oct 4, 2021 Daily Friend Materialism’s appeal is wilting globally, while policies prioritising inequality entrench South Africa’s rampant poverty. It’s time to rethink objectives. The Spanish Flu was followed by the ‘roaring twenties’, when transformational technologies, such as cars, phones, radios and assembly lines, became commonplace. As the 1920s began, masks were discarded and skirts…Continue reading Exploiting inequality is unaffordable – and under threat

-Sep 20, 2021 Daily Friend Deputy finance minister David Masondo’s willingness to creatively and openly explore solutions to Eskom’s over-reliance on coal, alongside its over-indebtedness, is refreshing. However, what his analysis and recommendations tell us about the next generation of ANC leadership is cause for concern. This young leader’s attempt to transcend bureaucratic caution reveals…Continue reading The next wave of ANC leadership