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While South Africans tend to think of ours as a middling country that muddles along in an average sort of way, in fact, the economy has been performing well below average for the past decade and has now sunk to near the bottom of the class.
Read MoreHeadlines matter, but a forecaster's task is to separate signal from noise, temporary disruption from a lasting shift in direction, and resilience from genuine acceleration.
South Africa faces challenges with failing municipalities. But unlike the well-established system of appointing curators for failing banks, municipal interventions are hampered by complex legal frameworks and political constraints, often leading to inefficient outcomes. This article first appeared in News24 on 20 July 2026
Read MoreCities and towns across South Africa are failing after years of underspending on infrastructure and maintenance. If left unchecked, the country faces a growing risk of systemic municipal failure with profound social and economic consequences
Read MoreReliable infrastructure, working municipalities and less red tape will do more for employment than chasing the "right" industries. This article, written by Helanya Fourie and Claire Bisseker, first appeared on News24 on 6 July 2026
Read MoreThe latest iteration of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC)’s industrial policy, called the Industrial Development Strategy, proposes taxes on minerals to encourage domestic beneficiation. But beneficiation is, arguably, not the right strategy as the mining sector is struggling with a more basic problem: getting minerals out of the ground in the first place
Read MoreEconomic expansions do not begin when conditions are perfect; they begin when enough people believe the future will be better than the present. Right now, many businesses appear to be waiting for a reason to believe again.
Read MoreNo single policy can solve all problems at once but if ever there was a magic bullet that comes closest it would be policies that accelerate economic growth.
The SA economy is not in an Iran-induced crisis, but our fragile recovery has stalled and rate hikes are back on the table; only this time, the margin for error is smaller and the policy trade-offs, sharper.
Read MoreA national AI policy will be judged by whether it equips and empowers South Africans to put the defining general-purpose technology of this era to work for their prosperity or stands between them and it. This article, written by Prof Johan Fourie, first appeared in the Business Day on 4 May 2026.
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