Welcome to My Blog
Articles and advice on all things legalSnippet 2019 – 34
Economics Flatlining. On Friday I was again privileged to attend an economic presentation by Nedbank’s Nicky Weimar. She says that our GDP growth, occillates between growth and recession, resulting in an average growth of 1% or less. This stagnation is not in line...
Snippet 2019 – 33
Economy Our MTBPS has come and gone; somewhat depressing as it outlines an economy on autopilot. The malaise affecting our economy has not been addressed. The gentle pruning of cost alone will not stimulate our economy and a tax shortfall surely awaits us; hence the...
Snippet 2019 – 32
Economics A summary of what went down this week: SA has dropped two places to 84th in the Ease of Doing Business 2020 report, fifth in Africa. We implemented a single reform this year and 4 in the past 5 years. SA still holds the top position in Africa in terms of...
Snippet 2019 – 31
Economy A very interesting development in our economic debate is the apparently growing (if grudging) acceptance of the new economic recovery strategy plan flighted by Treasury. When first released in August, this was regarded as a non-sanctioned shot in the dark. Our...
Snippet 2019 – 30
Economy Zimbabwe: same old; hyperinflation is now such that the price on the shelf may change before you get to the till. I am gobsmacked by the stupidity of its voters – but then, democracy in Africa has become a joke. Same old: The WBF, in its Global Competitiveness...
Snippet 2019 – 29
Economics Our PMI is at its lowest in 10 years; the IIF says that our SOE disaster could push our national debt to 95% of GDP. I seem to recall having read that once over 70% our economy will not recover? Casting around for comments on the topic, reveals that there is...
Snippet 2019 – 28
Economics Reform: Pali Lehola, our previous statistician-general, adressing economic and financial planning by our state, referred to our lack of forward-planning which has apparently been abandoned by our state. He speaks of our knowledge asymmetry: but we all know...
Snippet 2019 – 27
Economy The Treasury this week published its economic stimulus plan. I cannot speak for the efficacy of the plan but, like I suspect most South Africans, recognise that anything in this respect is better than nothing. For political factions to criticise the plan,...
Snippet 2019 – 26
Economy Listening to the Prez on the issue of compulsory pension investments in SOEs: his lack of denial would indicate that this proposal is certainly not off the table. Why does the State not invest the pension funds it holds on behalf of state employees in those...
Snippet 2019 – 25
Economy South Africans are awash in grim economic news led by a faltering GDP, burgeoning population growth and political incompetency. Some notes on green shoots were published this week past: Citadel reports on high 2018 FDI investment which it believes signifies a...
Snippet 2019 – 24
Economy Engineeringnews ran an article by Bloomberg, reporting that foreigners are ditching SA bonds and stocks at the fastest pace on record (i.e. since 1998) and outflows are accelerating. You must love how this is explained: SA’s fundamental picture remains very...
Snippet 2019 – 23
Economics The governor of our Reserve Bank expects an economic growth of below 0.8% this year. On the matter of economic growth, the IMF predicts a 3.2% global economic growth with a sub-Saharan economic growth of 3.4%. Its projection for South Africa is down to 0.7%...
Snippet 2019 – 22
Economy This week past newspapers reported that Egypt had floated its currency and accepted the pain that went with that. The result was that Egypt’s inflation slowed to single figures and FDI into Egypt has been higher than anywhere else in Africa. Now in Zimbabwe…...
Unregistered Servitudes
You and your neighbour, an old friend, have a decades-old handshake understanding that you and your employees may take a shortcut through his adjoining farm, over an existing road, for you and them to get to another part of your farm. Is this agreement valid and, if...
Snippet 2019 – 21
Economy Moody’s reports that South Africa has the highest private sector debt to GDP ratio in sub Saharan Africa at 148%. The next highest is Kenya at 28%. Its conclusion is that the potential for organic growth by banks in South Africa could only be had by...
Snippet 2019 – 20
Economy President Mnangagwa says that the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar will be a “return to normalcy”. If one were a sceptic, normalcy means bankruptcy and high inflation. The US dollar is predicted to slide into a modest bear market; i.e. 5 – 10% from...
Snippet 2019 – 19
Economy The week before last it was reported that Zimbabwe would be releasing its own currency by year end. It’s interim currency, the RTGS $ has plunged 60% against the US $since February and things are getting worse (its annual inflation reached 97% in May alone)....
Snippet 2019 – 18
Economy The SA BER index remained unchanged in Q2 at 28 points. RMB opined that a technical recession for the first half of this year remains a possibility. This week Prof Malikane (Wits) flighted an article on the South African debt situation. He estimates our...