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Unemployed men inJohannesburg wait on a street corner for work for part-time work. Photo: Naashon Zalk/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Fiscal Cliff | Shallow state purse deepens jobs crisis

In this instalment of The Fiscal Cliff – a Mail & Guardian series on how South Africa’s budget has been shaped – Sarah Smit considers the intimate link between the country’s…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. File Photo

The Fiscal Cliff | Will austerity push South Africa to the brink?

Today, as the country awaits the next update on the state of its public purse, the prospect of a debt crisis seems more imminent than before. This is as South Africa’s fiscal…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. (Photo: Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images)

Public purse sees tail end of mining tailwind

Mining windfall helped SA’s financial position, but lower revenues and additional spending will delay the end of fiscal consolidation

Brics countries have expressed commitment to collaborate on confronting global warming, with rapid urbanisation in the five member countries.

What’s in it for the ‘friends of Brics’?

A bigger alliance will give the group extra economic heft, but it remains to be seen whether its members can speak in one voice

The South African Reserve Bank is likely to hold interest rates unchanged

Reserve Bank left toothless amid Eskom-induced stagflation

The recent rand crash has led some to believe another 50 basis point rise is on the horizon, despite a view that further hiking will do little to tame inflation

Investor confidence is low as citizens and domestic private companies stash their cash abroad to protect it from the volatility of the weakened rand. (Getty)

Self-inflicted pain makes SA rand a sore thumb

The currency, which is usually a bellwether for other emerging markets, has diverged from global trends – thanks in large part to the energy crisis

The inside of a looted shop in Jeppestown district, Johannesburg, on July 11, 2021. – Several shops are damaged and cars burnt in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, following a night of violence. Police are on the scene trying to control further protests. It is unclear if this is linked to sporadic protests following the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma. (Photo by LUCA SOLA / AFP) (Photo by LUCA SOLA/AFP via Getty Images)

Zuma riots and looting hit the rand, jeopardise economic recovery

Any gains made at the beginning of the year could be undone as the protests and the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown threaten business confidence

Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago noted that high levels of economic uncertainty persist, as Russia’s continues to wage war on Ukraine. (Moeletsi Mabe/Gallo)

Treasury mulls lower inflation target

Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago makes a case for a lower target, though the trade union federation prefers job creation

According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the country’s economy grew at an annualised rate of 66.1% in the third quarter of 2020. Without annualising, the quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted growth rate was 13.5%.

South Africa records impressive economic recovery

The country’s economy grew at an annualised rate of 66.1%, marking the strongest pace of expansion since at least 1993

The Covid-19 lockdown slowed the economy to a point where businesses across all sectors are operating below capacity.  (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Covid wave brings second quarter slide

The gross domestic product numbers are likely to be gloomy, but the economy is not at ground zero

South African Reserve Bank Governer Lesetja Kganyago. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg)

Reserve bank unanimously decides to cut the repo rate

The South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee has unanimously decided to reduce the repo rate by 25 basis points, to 6.25%. This is the rate at which the bank lends…

(Graphic: John McCann/M&G)

SA rides emerging market wave

The pressure on Eskom bonds has eased and the rand has rallied but global events can reverse the gains

In a statement released shortly after the briefing

Data breach under control and under investigation, says Liberty CEO

Liberty Holdings CEO David Munro maintains that no clients suffered any financial loss as a result of the data breach

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an “extraordinary coronavirus budget” on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Rampahosa’s SONA stokes hope of economic revival

“Business will step up because they want Ramaphosa to succeed.”

Key farming sector yields precious little – Kevin Lings

Economist Kevin Lings highlights agricultural disappointments in an extract from his book ‘The Missing Piece: Solving South Africa’s Economic Puzzle’.

Hedge fund shorts African Bank shares

A major hedge fund is shorting shares in the unsecured lender in expectation of further declines.

Platinum producers take strike pain for cost-control gain

Platinum miners would rather endure the "short-term pain" of losing millions each day than give up ground on a wage settlement.

The South African bond market was subdued on Monday morning

Bond yields surge as inflation quickens, rand weakens

Yields on South African bonds jumped to the highest level in 19 months as inflation accelerated and the rand slipped to a six-week low.

Bosun has rapidly established a reputation in the competitive construction industry for its ability to meet exacting quality and deadline requirements

SA’s economic prognosis is good

Good figures from last year suggest that 2012 is likely to be even better.

EU crisis hammers SA jobs

This week gross domestic product (GDP) figures indicated a continued trend of slow economic growth with inflation on the rise.