News — Centre for Risk Analysis

[Opinion] ANC's Hamas meeting could hurt us badly

With South Africa having been greylisted by the Financial Action Task Force in February for insufficient measures to combat anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, such meetings send the wrong kind of signal.

[News] State troubles come home to roost

The fiscal, skills, and management challenges facing the central government – along with various departments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) – have come to the fore throughout 2023.

[Video] Durban harbour | Waves of containers choke port

Chris Hattingh, Executive Director at the Centre for Risk Analysis, says container handling output is sitting at 19 percent down compared to what it was the same period last year.

[Opinion] SA needs a port in a storm

Congestion at South African ports is crippling the country’s economy, further increasing costs. CHRIS HATTINGH says it is vital that the country ups its logistics game.

[Letter] Anti-graft guarantees

Sanral wants private sector funding, but it should first provide guarantees of improved financial management.

[Letter] Eskom execs running from toxic ANC

Party policies and cadre deployment are behind utility's demise.

[Opinion] South Africa’s living conditions: navigating challenges and pursuing equity

South Africa, a nation of stark contrasts and immense potential, has long struggled with issues of housing and access to essential services.

[Opinion] From conspiracy theory to reality?

The cliché American conspiracy-theory trope, “they’re watching”, is an overused storyline common to the American screen, from “conspiracy nut” comedies to dark action-packed spy blockbusters. But this trope could become a South African reality if the new General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) comes into play.

[News] Government budget cuts could lead to social unrest

The government might have to cut back on spending for social services due to budget constraints, which could lead to social unrest and increased frustration with the status quo. This is according to economist and head of policy analysis at the Centre For Risk Analysis Chris Hattingh.

[Video] Discussion | Treasury considers drastic cost-cutting measures

National Treasury is reportedly preparing a raft of cost-cutting measures as it's coffers run dry. These include getting departments and other sectors of government to reduce their spending. Economist Chris Hattingh, spoke to eNCA.

[Opinion] Academic contest is a (dirty) fighting sport, and so it should be

Whether a piece of commentary rubs you up the wrong or the right way is not what is relevant; what’s important is that an opinion rubbed you up at all.

[Opinion] SA must get onto a 7% growth track, and that demands boldness and innovative thinking

Instead of adopting a ruthless growth focus, the government is doubling down on job-destroying policies like expropriation without compensation (EWC) and enhanced BEE, while bribing SA’s poorest to look the other way with miserly social grants and by providing them with decrepit state services in water, electricity, education, health, transport, and safety, among other areas. Yet it does not have to be this way. A small number of critical reforms, resolutely enacted, can achieve a dramatic turnaround in South Africa’s prospects.

[News] Brighter days ahead?

Perhaps, after years of resisting the types of reform necessary to improve the performance of the ports, the government has finally reached the inflection point.

[Opinion] Zimbabwe’s ongoing struggle for free and fair elections

On Wednesday, Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold a general election. This poll has already garnered significant attention due to its potential to either direct the nation toward true democratic reform or plunge the Southern African country deeper into the depths of autocracy.

[Letter] The perils of relying on the government

We should not be tempted by the state for it to step in to aid the renewables equipment sector.

[Video] 15th BRICS summit | 22 countries apply for membership

At least 22 countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have formally asked to join the BRICS bloc. A further group of 22 have expressed interest in gaining membership. The core group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will discuss this next week in Johannesburg.

Dilapidated state

In this week's newsletter from the Centre For Risk Analysis, we look at infrastructure decay in South Africa as well as the emerging logistics crisis.

[Opinion] Risky business

The greater the extent to which business and government become mixed, the greater the incentive for – and likelihood of – regulations and policies being set up in such a way as to benefit those with the necessary resources and level of political influence.

[Letter] One-stop energy shop will cause more problems

It appears that our government officials have locked themselves up in an ivory tower full of new policy proposals, big ideas and slow reforms, far removed from the SA citizen on the ground.

[Video] Blackouts hammer steel sector

As Eskom struggles to keep the lights on, companies continue to lose revenue.

[Opinion] The exponential rise of cellular phones in South African households

South Africa has witnessed a transformative shift in communication preferences over the past few years, with cellular phones becoming the preferred choice for the majority of households.

[Video] 2024: SA's watershed election? | Africa Liberty Forum, Cape Town (Atlas Network)

The current state-centric model has failed, but what will replace it? In 2024, South Africans will vote in what will be the most highly contested elections in the post-apartheid era. Opposition parties could find themselves in governmental power, but will an opposition coalition turn the country’s fortunes around? What alternative policies should they be exploring now?

[Video] No arrests yet in recent burning of haulage trucks

Centre For Risk Analysis' Makone Maja dissects the torching of haulage trucks as the police try to crack the cases of 16 trucks set alight in the past three days in KZN, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

[Opinion] Nurse shortage crisis in South Africa

South Africa has been faced with a critical shortage of nurses, which has been worsening over the years, resulting in a number of challenges in providing quality healthcare.

[Video] Emigrasie en die impak daarvan op die land - In Gesprek

Panel discussion with the head of international relations for the Solidarity Movement, Jaco Kleynhans, and a senior policy analyst at the centre for risk analysis, Chris Hattingh about emigration and the effect thereof on the country and its economy.

Water use quotas a THREAT to agriculture

In this week's newsletter from the Centre For Risk Analysis, we look at the government's proposed water licensing rules and their impact on the commercial agricultural sector.

[Letter] Zondo’s state capture assessment is correct

Zondo has seen no changes to protect the country from rampant corruption.

Maternal healthcare improves, but more can be done

Over the past ten years, South Africa’s institutional maternal mortality ratio (IMMR) has declined.

[Opinion] President Ramaphosa’s Phala-Phala controversy: A deceitful manoeuvring of South Africa’s judicial processes

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Parliament pulled a fast one on us; twice, if you consider the investigation into alleged corruption at Eskom.

[Video] War in Ukraine | US lawmakers want SA punished for non-aligned stance

South Africa may be punished for its non-aligned stance on the war in Ukraine. A bipartisan group of 4 US lawmakers see the stance as support for Russia. They have since asked Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to move the AGOA summit from the country. AGOA allows for duty-free exports from Sub-Saharan Africa to the economic giant. We get more on this from Chris Hattingh from the Centre for Risk Analysis.