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Understanding the (+ve and -ve) effects of the temporary bans on alcohol sales in South Africa

The temporary alcohol bans in South Africa has resulted in great controversy. The country has undergone three bans on the sale, dispensing, distribution and transportation of liquor since March 2020, equivalent to 15 weeks of zero sales. This article explores the costs and benefits associated with the alcohol sales bans, specifically looking at the health and economic aspects. Such a discussion is critical given the known social and health harms associated with alcohol consumption and the industry’s significant contribution towards revenue, jobs, and gross domestic product.

Unpacking South Africa’s GDP and employment stats for early to mid-2020

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the country’s official provider of national statistics, is tasked with producing reliable data on a regular basis. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the related lockdown measures, have caused a severe economic contraction in 2020, but have also resulted in confusion over the degree of the pain felt by the real economy in the second and third quarters of 2020. This note briefly unpacks the method employed by Stats SA to estimate the reported changes in GDP and unemployment to better understand how the statistics office has arrived at these GDP and employment numbers.

Preparing jobs for technological advancements

Digitalisation has undoubtedly created new industries accompanied by unique job opportunities. However, technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are rendering a significant proportion of the existing jobs obsolete. This blog discusses the potential impact of technology on certain high risk jobs, and suggests a public-private sector approach to maxisimising the opportunities brought about by digitalisation.

Unbundling Eskom – a silver or lead bullet?

The recent plan by the government of South Africa to unbundle the state electricity provider into three arms – Generation, Transmission and Distribution – has raised various questions. One of the more important question pertains to how the R400 billion debt will influence the unbundling. This article draws on international experiences as a way of preempting which outcomes (both negative and positive) the unbundling will result in, taking into account Eskom’s performance over time. While our analysis is not definitive, it does infer that in order to minimise the negative externalities, and maximise the positive gains from unbundling, there is need for government to have a well-considered action plan that balances the interests of the private and public sector.