Zakhele Mthembu
Zakhele Mthembu has BA Law LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand, and is the Policy Officer at the Free Market Foundation. He has a deep love for Africa and advocates for using the flame of liberty to improve the lives of its people. He is inspired by the ancient papyrus text, the Tale of the Eloquent Peasant.
Articles By This Author
Is the prime lending rate really a cartel – or a central banking problem?
The Competition Commission is at an advanced stage of an investigation into a cartel involving South African retail banks. The inquiry concerns the prime interest rate used by these banks, which is uniformly set at the repo rate plus 3.5 percentage points.
Competition Commission parroting European antitrust law will harm economic dynamism
Whether consciously or unconsciously, the European Union (EU) influences how South African competition regulators formulate policy, guided by what is usually termed “international best practice.”
Township taverns highlight the challenges of zoning
Liquor businesses are one of the few avenues of entrepreneurial activities still present in townships and villages across the country. However, these businesses are burdened
Socialism is tyranny
In South Africa, we still have self-avowed and proud socialists in our political midst; from the ironically named Economic Freedom Fighters to the alliance of
The unreasonable nature of drug laws
In May 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act of 2024 into law. While this represents a step towards realising the
The State should not be increasing the price of goods
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced that it will impose a 45% import tax on goods that cost R500 or less, imported from China
The South African taxpayer needs a break
In South Africa, we are subjected to a state that provides education, healthcare, and employment for citizens. However, since a state does not generate any
Capacitating the criminal justice system a must
With South Africa having one of the highest violent crime rates in the world, the government needs to place more focus on the security and
Fresh Produce Market Inquiry has shades of central planning
The Competition Commission is back in the news again, this time trying to unironically legislate ‘competition’ into being. The final terms of reference for the
Laws and exclusion
Law has been used as an instrument of terror towards indigenous South Africans. The terrorism that saw the displacement of aboriginal Black South Africans and