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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is one of the largest and most ambitious research infrastructure ever to be built. South Africa will be hosting one of its two main sites. The decision to host such an ambitious project for a middleincome country required careful consideration of the potential benefits and the associated risks for the socio-economic development of the country and the region more broadly. This working paper describes how the potential impact of SKA for South Africa was envisaged from the start of the project, how this was integrated in the project development, what policy initiatives and interventions were taken to maximize impact and the lessons learned, from South Africa's science policy perspective, during the early phases of the development of the SKA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A country report for several Southern African countries including South Africa; Angola; and Zambia is presented from the publisher Fitch Solutions, with topics including Monetary Policy; Economic Outlook; and the Inflation Outlook.

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher Country Watch, with topics including economic growth, reunification efforts, and political structure.

The article examines the performance of the South African manufacturing sector in the first half of 2024. It provides a comprehensive analysis of production trends, business confidence, and sector-specific performance across various provinces. Key findings discussed include a broad-based production increase in April 2024, a dip in manufacturing business confidence in May 2024, and a cautious optimism about future export growth.

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher MarketLine, with topics including economic growth, social analysis, and political structure.

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In South Africa a growing crisis of political legitimacy - given widening social inequality, high unemployment, persistent poverty, ecological devastation and increased corruption - has had a direct impact on the union movement. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa's (NUMSA's) 2013 decision to break away from the alliance with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and SA Communist Party (SACP), and build a broad united front and a 'movement for socialism', was momentous. Enthusiastic observers likened it to the 1973 'Durban moment', where a massive strike wave precipitated the re-emergence of independent, radical trade unionism in South Africa. This 'moment' was preceded by an equally signficant yet under-appreciated 'moment' - the path-breaking work on climate change and renewable energy. NUMSA decided in 2013 to draw together a wide range of left movements and activists, and in that process debate the character and form of a new movement that would challenge the hegemony of the ANC and SACP, as well as provide a clearer leftwing alternative to the racialpopulist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Taken together, these two moments were hopeful expressions (or green shoots) of a new type of 21st century, democratic 'ecosocialist' working class politics. The subsequent launch of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) in April 2017 was meant to give this momentum a further boost. This paper argues that the promise of trade union revitalisation is fraught with difficulty. Indeed, as NUMSA retreats into its shell of 20th century orthodoxy, many fear that what seemed like green shoots of revitalisation were, in fact, false dawns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an exposition of the state, contribution and performance of automotive Global Value Chains in South Africa with a focus on manufacturing. The research process followed was greatly supported by years of working experience in the industry. A survey was conducted to look at the state of social upgrading. This was followed by in-depth interviews focusing on firm-level economic upgrading. Extensive document analysis was conducted. Despite being an important part of the process, economic upgrading does not always produce social upgrading. Component manufacturing enterprises are sandwiched between downward market pressures exerted by original equipment manufacturers on the one hand and their employees who are pushing social upgrading improvements on the other. Their conditions are inferior compared to those of their counterparts in the vehicle assembly sector. A lacklustre economic upgrading response by their employers to market pressures produces loss of volume or supply contracts, or a failure to secure new original equipment components and supplier parts manufacturing contracts, among other possible consequences. This generates social downgrading for the workers first and foremost in the form of retrenchments. The creation of new jobs and sustenance of existing employment levels require increases in production volumes, supported by deepening and widening value addition, due to intensifying process upgrading involving automation and robotisation coupled with new and more efficient methods of work and production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher MarketLine, with topics including Gross Domestic Product , economic recovery from Covid-19, and political stability.

Unprecedented urbanisation has been a global character during the 21st century. During the apartheid era in South Africa, the rate of urbanisation was controlled which limited the invasion of black people into the city centre. However, with the relaxation of urbanisation policies, the country witnessed an unmatched invasion of black people into the city centre in the quest to access various resources. The inability of the new urbanites to access resources, many people resorted to land invasion to access public land illegally. The urban corridors wereimmediately harbouring a dye, ugly and unplanned antagonistic new urban character. Consequentially, cities in developing countries portrays the juxtaposition of antagonistic urban landscapes -- rurality and urbanity interface. The ruralisation of urban centres in the midst of all the development framework question the applicability of urban planning theory in addressing the rurality within the cities. The paper argues that without good governance structure and effective urban planning model, rurality in an urban context will continue to characterise most South Africa cities. The paper concludes that the dearth of a clear strategy poses a deleterious ramification in the quest to resolve informality that local government are confronted in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher International Country Risk Guide with topics including political structure, mitigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, and Gross domestic product.

The article discusses the author's experiences as a nature guide in South Africa and the increasing inclusion of geology in their guided tours. Topics include the need to make geology accessible to the general public, the appeal of beautiful rocks and formation process stories, and the importance of first-hand experiences in connecting people with geological concepts.

A country report for several countries including Iran; and the South Africa is presented from the publisher Fitch Solutions, with topics including Monetary Policy; Economic Outlook; and the Inflation Outlook.

This paper aims at analyzing the effects of social policies on income inequalities in South Africa since the 1990s. Based on a framework of historical institutionalism, the heritage of a distributional regime based on institutional racism is highlighted. This had lasting effects on social policies which also had both liberal and conservative characteristics. Democratisation at the beginning of the 1990s led to the abolishing of institutional racism and conservative features, while the new framework tended to be of a more liberal nature than before. The Post- Apartheid transformation is marked by many contradictions: Concerning social policies, adverse effects of the ambitious affirmative action programme "Black Economic Empowerment" are diagnosed, as it creates incentives for highly-skilled public sector workers to work in the better-paid private sector. Apart from the resulting skills shortages, a tendency of cash transfers to replace public social services and infrastructure provision is diagnosed. In addition to this liberal characteristic of social policies, employment policies were not very successful, despite workfare tendencies in the approach towards welfare. As a result, overall income inequalities stagnated at very high levels after Apartheid, even with the rise of a black bourgeoisie and middle class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher MarketLine which analyzes the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environment (PESTLE) structure of the country, including recovery of the economy from the COVID-19 crisis, key facts and geographic location, and PESTLE analysis.

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher the PRS Group with topics including economic forecasts, mitigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, and Gross domestic product.

The article discusses changes in the leadership of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA), including the appointment of a new President, Steve McCourt, and the composition of the Management Committee (MANCO). Topics include the roles and responsibilities of MANCO in overseeing GSSA affairs, the recent Annual General Meeting and its outcomes, recognition of award winners, and upcoming centenary events commemorating important geological discoveries in South Africa.

A beneficiary fund is a pension fund established in terms of section 1 of the Pension Funds Act, 24 of 1956 for the purposes of a dependant of a deceased's member. A Beneficiary Fund is a legal entity that is setup in accordance with the Pension Funds Act for the purpose of accepting Section 37C death benefit payments. The Beneficiary Fund has a board of trustees who are there to ensure that the monies (or other assets) are administered with the necessary care for the benefit of the beneficiaries. It is an efficient and flexible way to ensure that assets are looked after. It also ensures that assets are objectively managed and controlled by the appointed trustees in the best interest of the beneficiaries. The beneficiary fund has its own rules, its own Board of Trustees and a Principal Officer (who reports to the board of trustees and is responsible for the daily running of the Fund). The paper discusses the legislative frameworks, taxation, governance and adjudication of complaints relating to beneficiary funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic embargo imposed on South Africa between 1985 and 1993 brought the country closer to financial isolation. This paper interprets the imposition and removal of the embargo as financial autarky and financial integration ‘natural experiments’, and studies the effects on the economy. The aggregate data indicate a decrease in the levels and growth rates of investment, capital, and output during the embargo period relative to the pre-embargo and post-embargo periods. To further rationalize the findings in the aggregate data, we calibrate a neoclassical growth model to the South African economy. During the transition to steady-state, we model the embargo by limiting the country's ability to borrow for a period corresponding to the duration of the embargo. The derived dynamics for investment, capital, and output support the view of a positive (negative) link between financial integration (isolation) and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African food manufacturer RFG Holdings has announced plans to implement pricing initiatives in order to recover high input costs. The company also intends to install alternative-energy sources at its plants to combat power outages in the country. RFG reported an 8.7% increase in revenue, driven by a 12.9% increase in pricing. However, lower consumer spending and competitor promotional activity resulted in a decline in volume. The company exports its products globally, with North America and Europe being major markets. RFG has invested in back-up power generation and is also installing solar energy solutions at its production facilities. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents information on the introduction of a minimum wage for domestic workers in South Africa.

The article presents the paper "Unravelling the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the South African Labour Market," by Sher Verick, published by the International Labour Office (ILO). It cites the various conditions in the labour force market in South Africa. It analyzes the determinants of labour force status in South Africa and the increased discouragement in the labour market during the global financial crisis.

This article presents information on the economic policy of the government of President Thabo Mbeki in South Africa. The discussion paper of the African National Congress, "Development and Underdevelopment," contains a number of important ideas which could lead to an acceleration in overall economic growth and a reduction in unemployment from its present level of approximately 26%. Among the proposals are the partial deregulation of the labour market in order to make it easier for employers to fire workers and to waive the minimum wage and other collective bargaining arrangements; a change in the definition of a small business from one with less than 50 employees to one with less than 200; and the exclusion of industrial development zones from some of the laws. INSET: Main aspects of the ANC debate on generating higher economic....

The electoral commission of South Africa is doing a commendable job organizing the forthcoming nationwide vote. Despite the wholly predictable outcome, the democratic credentials of April 2004 vote are unassailable, and are a credit to the country and Africa as a whole. Transparently credible elections come at a premium in Africa, so when they do happen it is an event worth noting. Ballot papers have been printed and distributed to the 17,000 voting districts around the country, and are being guarded by armed security personnel to thwart any attempt to tamper with them.

The article examines the organization of working time and its effects in health services sector in Brazil, South Africa, and Korea. It notes that their health care systems have a combination of public-service entities and privately operated hospitals and clinics. It notes the excessive working hours of medical staff in Brazil and the high vacancy rates in South African primary health care facilities which stirs an increase in temporary part-time jobs with high levels of insecurity for workers.

An essay is presented on the epidemiology of dengue fever in Natal, South Africa from 1926 to 1927 due to Aedes aegypti, the association of Aedes aegypti to sugar, and how to prevent the epidemics. Topics include how the epidemics affect the local economy, the need to understand the past dengue epidemics, dengue determinants and their interrelationships, and the connection of Aedes aegypti in sugar products.

A report on the challenges facing the labour market in South Africa as of November 2013 is presented and highlights the success of Brazil in advancing the rights of workers. An overview of the labour market is provided which is plagued with various issues including shortcomings in wage and income policies, fragmented collective bargaining institutions, and lack of universal income support for all adults.

In the context of a global jobs crisis, there is renewed interest in the role of public employment in providing work opportunities even where markets are unable to do so. This context has also seen a range of forms of innovation in public employment, with new forms of work and new approaches to implementation delivering different kinds of outcomes. The Community Work Programme in South Africa (CWP) is an example of such innovation. The CWP was designed to use public employment as an instrument of community development, and uses participatory local processes to identify work that needs to be done to improve the quality of life in poor communities. This has resulted in a multi-sectoral work menu with a strong emphasis on care, food security, community safety and a range of other work activities. The inclusion of work in the social sector within a public employment programme creates new ways of strengthening social outcomes. The CWP also differs from other public employment programmes with its focus on providing ongoing access to regular, part-time work for those who need it at local level, providing an income floor in ways that draw from lessons of social protection. This design feature is a specific response to the structural nature of unemployment in South Africa, which means that for many participants, there is no easy exit from public employment into other economic opportunities; instead, the CWP supplements as well as strengthens their other livelihood strategies. The Community Work Programme was an outcome of a strategy process commissioned by the South African Presidency in 2007 that aimed to strengthen economic development strategies targeted at the poor. This process recognized that in a context of deep structural inequality and unemployment, strategies were needed that could enable economic participation even where markets are unable to do so. This formed part of the rationale for scaling up South Africa's existing commitments to public employment, under the umbrella of the Expanded Public Works Programme, with the CWP also designed to use public employment as an instrument of community development. The CWP is still a relatively new programme, institutionalized in the Department of Cooperative Governance in South African since April 2010. This article examines the policy rationale for the CWP, describes its key design features and explores the forms of local innovation to which it is giving rise, in relation to the forms of work undertaken and the associated community development outcomes. It also explores some of the challenges of implementation and the policy questions to which this innovation in public employment is giving rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the economic policy in South Africa in 2011. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects a boost in the country's growth prospects, forecasting 4% expansion in both 2011 and 2012. IMF commends the country's macroeconomic policies, market-determined exchange rate, and robust financial sector.

The article focuses on the economic development in the South Africa in 2009. It cites the effort of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support the fiscal and monetary loosening of the country. Moreover, an overview is provided on the country's fiscal economic measures, South African Reserve Bank's (SARB) holding of rates, and the calling of IMF for structural reforms.

The article presents a case study regarding the design and implementation of the national qualification framework (NQF) in South Africa and the problems associated with NQF. The framework was established as a transformative instrument for single national high-quality education and training system in the country. Left-wing education organizations have shown their disagreement of NQF and critics described NQF as complex and esoteric.

The article offers information on the study on estimation of long-run user cost elasticity for nonresidential capital demand in a small open economy such as South Africa. It states that the study uses the manufacturing data of the country from 1970-2001. It says that the estimate of -0.80, that was achieved using difference specification that does not need cointegration, contrasts with previous studies because of identification of demand curve in open economy.

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher MarketLine, with topics including economic growth, issue of climate change, and political structure.

The article discusses foreign trade and payments of South Africa. Relaxation of foreign-exchange controls; Decision on privatization of South Africa's telecommunications, Telkom; Condition of exports during 2002.

Presents analyses, statistics and forecasts on the economy of South Africa as of May 2000.

Presents economic indicators and trade data in South Africa from 1997 to 1999. Volume of production in gold mining; Private employment in mining, manufacturing and construction industries; Prices of goods, industrial, commercial and gold mining shares; Foreign trade and payments; Stock exchange rate; Import and export products.

Presents economic indicators and trade data of South Africa as of the third quarter of 1999. Economic indicators from 1997 to 1999; Performance of export and import trade; List of export and import products and services.

A country report for South Africa is presented from publisher Marketline International Ltd., with topics including analyzes of the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) structures in South Africa.

The article presents a forecast of the political risks in South Africa as of September 2014. Topics covered include the changes brought forth by a Cabinet reshuffle, the installation of market advocate Cyril Ramaphosa as deputy president, and the anticipated shaft closures and job cuts needed to restore the mining industry's financial health. Also mentioned are the victory of the African National Congress (ANC) and the very high unemployment rate.

The article presents a report on the political risk and macroeconomic prospects in South Africa as of August 2014. It provides an outlook on the region's economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), and politics, which expects President Jacob Zuma's position to be more secured due to the African National Congress success in the May 2014 elections. Also offered are the economic and political outlook on several South African countries including Angola, Botswana and Mauritius.

The article offers Southern Africa news briefs as of July 2014. The ruling African National Congress's (ANC) won in the May 2014 elections. Meeting of Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos with his French counterpart Francois Hollande on April 29 in Paris. Political wrangling over tax agreements is causing difficulties for Mauritian investors.