John Endres
John Endres is the CEO of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). He holds a doctorate in commerce and economics from one of Germany’s leading business schools, the Otto Beisheim School of Management, as well as a Master’s in Translation Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. John has extensive work experience in the retail and services industries as well as the non-profit sector, having previously worked for the liberal Friedrich Naumann Foundation and as founding CEO of Good Governance Africa, an advocacy organisation.
- Total Post (41)
Articles By This Author
Stephen, we don’t need to wait for history to judge Ramaphosa’s reforms
- By John Endres
- . Jun 8, 2026
This piece, written in response to a recent article by Daily Maverick writer Stephen Grootes, was offered to, but declined by, the Daily Maverick.* Stephen Grootes is right that economic growth is the test of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s legacy. But the early returns are already in, and they point the other way.
Laying track for fast growth
- By John Endres
- . May 20, 2026
Making an economy grow fast is like making a train go fast, and it depends on getting three things right: a powerful engine, a smooth track pointed in the right direction, and low friction along the way.
Taking the brakes off SA’s economy: the IRR’s Blueprint for Growth
- By John Endres
- . May 13, 2026
By the end of this talk, you will be able to name exactly what is suppressing South Africa’s investment rate, and you will have a concrete reform agenda to argue for.
The dishonesty of the NHI defenders
- By John Endres
- . May 7, 2026
The South African Communist Party (SACP) says that using the Constitutional Court to challenge the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act is “the ultimate definition of a political oxymoron.”
Liberalism as a technology
- By John Endres
- . Apr 17, 2026
The title of this talk is “Holding the liberal centre in a time of polarisation.” It contains a claim that investors should pay attention to: that there is a liberal centre, that it is under threat from polarisation on the left and the right, and that holding it matters for the future of your capital.
Victory disease
- By John Endres
- . Apr 15, 2026
Military historians have a term for what happens when armies start believing their own momentum. They call it “victory disease”.
The trouble with the new history curriculum
- By John Endres
- . Apr 12, 2026
The Department of Basic Education has put a new draft history curriculum out for public comment. The window closes on 19 April. South Africans who care about what their children will learn have just a week to read the draft and make their views known.
A tale of two tensions
- By John Endres
- . Mar 13, 2026
We’ve heard some fantastic talks over the last three days. I want to try bring together some key threads as we assess what we’ve heard.
Bozell means business
- By John Endres
- . Mar 12, 2026
South Africa has a new US ambassador, and he is not here to please all of the people, all of the time. He is here
Bitcoin: the freedom money that wants to change the world
- By John Endres
- . Mar 5, 2026
Most of us spend our entire lives using money every day. We earn it, we save it, we worry about it, we plan around it – and yet we rarely stop to ask a surprisingly basic question: What is money, really?