On 25 March 2021, Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) launched the first of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPV) procured by ARMSCOR for the South African Navy (SAN). The vessels will augment South Africa’s maritime security by enhancing the country’s capability to respond effectively, rapidly and cost-effectively to threats such as illegal trafficking and...Read More

By Steuart Pennington In 1998, 22 years ago, our then Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki in opening of the debate on nation-building commented “This reality is South Africa comprises two nations, underwritten by the perpetuation of the racial, gender and spatial disparities born of a very long period of colonial and apartheid white minority domination, constitutes...Read More

Corruption Watch (CW), in response to the many whistle-blower complaints it has received on police corruption, and inspired by its engagements with communities experiencing police violence and abuse, today launches an interactive open data tool – Veza (a colloquial term for ‘reveal’ or ‘expose’). The first of its kind in South Africa, Veza improves transparency...Read More

BRUCE WHITFIELD: Dear Mr President, it’s time to take some tips from Jeff Bezos as you prepare for SONA Bruce Whitfield offers 14 Leadership principles to our President before the SONA address, they make good reading, I have summarised them below. For full article https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/opinion/2021-02-08-bruce-whitfield-dear-mr-president-its-time-to-take-some-tips-from-jeff-bezos Dear Mr President, Ahead of your third State of the...Read More

By Steuart Pennington Annually Transparency International produces a Corruption Perceptions Index (the methodology is outlined below). The report is comprehensive. Below I have summarized the most important numbers for easy reading, while SA ranks in the top 40% of least corrupt countries at 69 /180 (we have been as high as 50 /180) our ranking...Read More

Source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/460870/the-real-value-of-the-rand-in-2021-according-to-the-big-mac-index/?  The latest update to The Economists’ Big Mac Index for the start of 2021 shows that the rand is still one of the most undervalued currencies globally. In the mid-2020 index, the local unit was found to be the most undervalued in the report, but has started 2021 on a slightly better footing, thanks...Read More

• Monday, 14 December 2020 • Dear Fellow South African, I was recently sent a photo that featured on the popular #ImStaying Facebook thread. Two women are seated side by side at a bus stop somewhere in Cape Town. One is white, elderly and frail, and rests her head on the shoulder of the younger...Read More

What does WYSIATI /’VE-SI-HA-TI mean? JP Landman Explains There are two characteristics of “detail”; the first is that it is where the devil lurks; the second is that it never, or seldom, makes it into mainstream media. In this riveting article JP Landman unpacks three important political announcements that were made last month (Comment –...Read More

By Steuart Pennington Background In sub-Saharan Africa, about 80% of people depend directly on land to grow their food. But over two-thirds of the continent’s productive land is now degraded – it has, to some degree, lost its productive capacity. This is driven by years of overgrazing, inappropriate agricultural practices, extreme weather events and the...Read More

South Africa: Strong recovery. Today, Allianz unveiled the eleventh edition of its “Global Wealth Report”, which puts the asset and debt situation of households in almost 60 countries under the microscope. A bumper year Never in the last ten years, were we able to report such a big increase in wealth. Worldwide, gross financial assets[1] grew by...Read More