Hard lessons from DOGE’s failure
In principle, a Department of Government Efficiency sounds like a great idea. In practice, it isn’t so simple. When Donald Trump appointed former first buddy
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Forget the refugees; they’re a distraction
“South Africa is far from perfect, but it belongs to those who believe in justice, dignity, and equality. To Afrikaners committed to that vision: your country needs you. To those who long for a past of domination – go if
Why we lack economic solutions
Viable solutions are lacking because our economic debates fixate on criticising ANC policies, while sidestepping the underlying tradeoffs. We aren’t close to answering: How could SA become a broadly prosperous economy? Investment-led growth is a good option to boost GDP,
It’s easy to get economic growth
It is easy to get economic growth; there’s nothing to it. The winning formula could not be simpler. Every time in history, all around the world, wherever it has been tried it has always worked. There has been a spectacular
Race to the bottom
Professor William Gumede of the Wits School of Governance recently lamented the terrible failure of BEE because, he estimates, over R1 trillion moved between around 100 politically connected individuals. He goes on to say: “South Africa’s BEE model has created
Pride and Prejudice Month
In another step on the road to Gilead, Republicans have introduced a Bill declaring June to be “Family Month”, instead of “Pride Month”. For someone who claims to know nothing about Project 2025, Donald Trump and the Republican Party he
No audible gasps … just laughter
You can’t keep complaining about the policing of expression without acknowledging victories, however far or under-emphasised. On the weekend in Los Angeles, Ricky Gervais was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. After accepting the honour, he said how
Just who exactly can expropriate our stuff?
Nicholas Lorimer and Makone Maja discuss the IRR’s campaign to find out how many parts of government will have expropriating powers. They also chat about failed government efforts to create jobs and problems with the deeds office in Jo'burg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt_1eAalfhg
Fixing infrastructure not enough to restart SA’s economic engine
South Africa's economy is stagnating. From 2012 to 2023, the average annual growth rate was just 0.8%. In 2024 it declined to 0.5%. In the first quarter of 2025 it slowed to a barely perceptible 0.1%, according to figures released