This week, the IMF approved a funding request for South Africa under its Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) programme.A number of concessions have applied, ranging from the annual quota allowed to the terms of engagement.In the RFI programme, the IMF indicates no contentious conditions are attached to it, even though a road map towards repayment is…
There was an expectation that essential services would resist the temptation to engage in questionable behaviour during the lockdown.It is therefore difficult to reconcile the conduct of Dis-chem - a supplier of healthcare products - during the current crisis.The company has nonetheless decided to appeal a R1.2 million penalty imposed upon it for price gouging.A…
The dilemma of running a balanced public budget is inevitable where there is a divergence of economics and politics.Economics calls for sacrifices and trade-offs, while politics is committed to a quest for re-election.A lack of consensus among the political elite leads to a loss of legitimacy. Inadequate allocations in key areas may result in a vicious…
Taxi commuters are facing a pay hike.An increase in transport costs isn't linked to an increase in wages, so a hike in transport costs deepens the wedge between wages and take-home pay. Where spatial planning and lack of infrastructure development leave limited viable transport options, consumers are the ones who lose out. The journey from…
You’re going through something big, but you don’t speak up. You’re exhausted, but you white-knuckle through the day. Your friends offer help, but you brush it off. If this sounds familiar, you probably pride yourself for being self-sufficient and always tending to your own needs. But when you make a conscious choice to remain an
Honestly, I am trying to take a few days off and enjoy time away for my wife’s birthday. However, I just got the below photo from the father of one of the 51 children impacted by the ByHeart botulism outbreak. He found the formula still on the shelf at a Safeway in Flagstaff, Arizona –
3 min read FOR THE FIRST time, doctors have successfully completed a coronary artery bypass without cutting the patient open. They recently documented the results of the landmark surgery in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. The surgery was done on a 67-year-old man whose aortic valve was already replaced with a prosthetic. However, he developed a buildup