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In a fix: Services in the capital Harare are stretched or broken. Transfers of funds from the national government are low and revenue collection by local government is curtailed. (Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Harare’s fiscal paradox: A devolved city starved of resources

By law, powers and functions are devolved to local government but the ruling Zanu-PF’s ideology is to control municipalities

The increase in, for example, white and yellow maize, us now at 7.75 million tonnes and 6.91 million tonnes, 16% higher than the 2023-24 season.

For better ways to produce food, look to the past

Answers to South Africa’s food system problems could lie in the pre-colonial epoch

Squeezed: Chris Arendse fixes his fishing net at his home in Strandfontein Pavilion in Cape Town. Small-scale fishers say the odds are stacked against them. Photos: Bongani Siziba

Fishing subsidies in the W. Cape: ‘Illegal fishing is our only option’

Fishers claim they are forced into illegal trawling because subsidies only benefit big vessels

Equal distribution of resources will not close the access gap. Instead, resources must be deployed where they are needed most – and low-cost housing must move from the urban periphery too

Why a blanket approach to redressing spatial inequity is flawed

Equal distribution of resources will not close the access gap. Instead, resources must be deployed where they are needed most – and low-cost housing must move from the urban…

In Kenya, waste is collected twice a week and taken to a resource recovery facility, where the high temperatures in solar concentrators sterilise the waste. It is then turned into charcoal briquettes that are used as fuel. (Fredrik Lerneryd)

How our urine and faeces can be used to fuel growth and create a cleaner environment

Recycling human waste not only cuts down on landfill use but can also give birth to economically viable products such as fertilisers and fuel

(John McCann/M&G)

After the goldrush, coal addiction

Gold propped up apartheid, but it was depleted. The new fool’s gold is coal. Neither brought economic transformation

Foreign spaza shop owners told the press last week they blamed recent violent looting in Soweto on allegations of fake food in the township. (David Harrison).

Townships are still a world apart

Bids to unleash their economic potential have failed largely because the motives, networks and practices of the informal economy are ignored.

Adcorp offers to buy Australian workforce firm

Adcorp has put in an offer to buy 100% of Labour Solutions Australia, saying the final consideration would depend on the company’s earnings.

Peters unfazed by implications of an ‘outdated’ resource plan

Energy Minister Dipuo Peters is sticking to her guns on electricity policy.

Deadline looms for mining companies

There is nervousness in the sector as companies have to ensure they comply with the mining charter’s requirements by next year.

Billiton in strong position, chairperson says

BHP Billiton’s chairperson, Don Argus, said on Thursday that as a standalone company BHP Billiton is in a strong financial and operating position.

JSE mixed, but SAB climbs

South African stocks were a mixed bag with a weaker bias at noon on Thursday, but brewer SABMiller climbed on above-forecasts year end earnings. At noon, the all-share index was…

JSE stays weak on miners, world markets

South African stocks remained weak at midday on Tuesday with miners the worst causalities on easing metal prices, while falling overseas markets added to selling pressures. At…

JSE mixed in quiet trade, but MTN jumps

South African stocks were mixed in a thin-volume session by noon on Friday, with MTN in focus on vague newspaper reports that an Indian firm might launch a takeover bid for the…

World markets continue to burden JSE

World markets were dampened by negative earnings reports from the United States on Monday, causing the JSE to pull back sharply. By midday, the JSE’s broader all-share index had…

JSE slightly weaker on miners

South African stocks were slightly lower at noon on Tuesday, pressured by miners on faltering metal prices, but improved sentiment in overseas markets restricted losses, traders…

JSE holds on to gains on world markets

The JSE held on to gains at midday on Tuesday as investors chased after bargains following Monday’s sharp losses amid strong metal prices and firmer overseas markets. By 11.59am,…

JSE stays firm after Wall Street rally

The JSE remained firm at noon on Tuesday, spurred by Wall Street’s overnight rebound and firmer European markets as risk aversion eased. Miners lifted the main index, buoyed by a…

JSE stays sharply lower on world markets

The JSE retained its weak tone at noon on Monday, in line with overseas markets amid renewed concerns about the health of the United States economy. At 11.56am, the all-share…

JSE drops sharply in line with world markets

The JSE dropped sharply in early trade on Monday, led south by Asian markets and early signs that European markets are tipped to slide amid renewed concerns about the United…