Impeachment of the Public Protector
This brief explores the implications of the Independent Panel report and concludes that careful consideration of its findings about the Public Protector is necessary to protect our constitutional democracy.
What Can We Expect From The Economy In 2021?
This brief explores what economic drivers lie behind the economic growth projections from various international organisations, South African official sources and South African commercial banks.
Understanding Cronyism
This brief examines cronyism as a subtype of corruption, and argues, using the executive ethics code as an example, that frameworks do not adequately safeguard against cronyism.
Has Statistics South Africa Under-Estimated The Employment Recovery?
Many commentators have argued that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the unemployment rate, relying solely on Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). But the QLFS is not the only source of information on the labour market. This brief considers the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the labour market by reviewing data from Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Employment Statistics and national accounts, as well as the National Income Dynamics Study Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey.
The Expropriation Bill - Why is everyone focusing on expropriation without compensation and not on the major land reform issues?
This brief examines the many problematic aspects on the subject of land reform in South Africa and points out that the proposed amendment to the Constitution and the Expropriation Bill are not the major issues of concern.
The Silence of the Constitutionalists
In this brief, Matthew Kruger reflects on the suspension of democratic power and subordination of transformative goals during the last year of lockdown. After touching on the failures of our major political parties, Parliament and the media to comprehend or resist this reality, he turns his attention to civil society. In the face of this 365-day deferral of the Constitution, why have so many of our NGOs and lawyers kept silent?
Whom The Gods Would Destroy They First Make Mad
How to achieve redistribution with growth in a period of economic decline is difficult and the beginning of wisdom is to avoid actions which make things worse rather than better. The purpose of this brief is to identify some of them.
Service Delivery in South Africa at a Glance
Against the backdrop of recent discussions on service delivery in the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality this brief will examine current reactions to service delivery failures and possible actions that aggrieved residents may take.