SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC?
South Africa hosts the 6th South Africa (SA) – European Union (EU) Summit on 18 July 2013, symbolically, on former President Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday.
South Africa and the European Union: moving beyond asymmetry
Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, and the conclusion of the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) in 1999, the relationship between South Africa and the European Union has grown incrementally to reach the level of a strategic partnership in 2007.
Online briefing: Regional Integration
SAIIA and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) have been working on a joint project that examines the political economy of regional integration in Southern Africa.
Real decentralised bargaining needed in the platinum sector
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has submitted an application to the Labour Court to prevent its loss of official recognition at the Lonmin platinum mines. They dispute the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU)’s claim to representing 70% of low-skilled workers now. That NUM is desperately contesting Lonmin’s plans to recognise AMCU is a destructive function of the institution of centralised bargaining.
Obama inspires, but what are the implications for US-South Africa relations?
United States President Barack Obama’s speech was well-calibrated for an audience of university students, and harkened back not only to the words of Nelson Mandela at the time of his release from prison but also to those of Robert F Kennedy and a speech delivered on the same spot in a completely different South Africa, one in the throes of Apartheid, in 1966.
Pushing Illicit financial flows to the top of the global agenda
In 2012, Africa lost an estimated $43-$46 billion to illicit financial flows (IFF). Calculated over time, the size of this “shadow financial system” is staggering. For instance, between 1980 and 2009 the continent is estimated to have lost around US$1.3 trillion. This is according to a report by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) released in May 2013.
South Africa’s Nuclear Future
The South African government has embarked on a programme to develop the country’s nuclear energy capability in order to meet increasing national energy demand.
Mozambique and Malawi: Recalibrating a Difficult Relationship
Mozambique shares the largest portion of its border with Malawi. Despite extensive socio-economic ties linking the two countries, their relationship historically has been a difficult one.
Time to set SA-US trade on a fresh trajectory
The US remains one of South Africa’s most important economic partners and President Barack Obama will soon be here as part of his three-stop African tour. One of the official objectives of the visit will be to improve Africa’s economic growth and promote international trade.
Exporting and Export Dynamics Among South African Firms
According to the National Development Plan increased exports, particularly among small and medium firms, are an important job-creation strategy. Yet much of the South African debate on exporting occurs in an environment based on anecdote and prejudice rather than fact.