As South Africa responds to COVID-19 and aims to stimulate the economy and job creation post lockdown, an opportunity should not be missed to consider investing in new product markets which could increase the size and dynamism of the manufacturing sector. Such a package could contribute to arresting the current…

Presentations Nkosinathi Nkonyane - Senior Manager, Economic Policy and Planning, Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Mpumalanga Province) Presentation: Implementing the Mpumalanga green economy plan Louise Scholtz - Senior Programme Manager: Urban Futures, Policy and Futures Unit, WWF-SA; Carla Hudson, Programme Manager: Mine Water Coordinating Body, and Operational Lead –…

Main Bulletin: The Real Economy Bulletin - Fourth Quarter 2020 In this edition Gross domestic product: As forecast since the middle of 2020, the South African GDP in 2020 was 7% lower than in 2019. After the very sharp downturn during the lockdown in the second quarter, most of the real economy has largely recovered on the back of higher metals prices and more targeted measures to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. Still, economic growth was affected by the continued risk of contagion, which suppressed recovery particularly for in-door hospitality and entertainment. The factors that slowed growth before the COVID-19 pandemic also remain a…

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its role in Africa is controversial. This paper argues that African countries should work through regional organisations, such as the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to use their agency and negotiate with China to advance their own…

Industry Master Plans have emerged as an important industrial policy intervention and approach to strengthening and growing South African industrial capacity. The approach to and process of developing these plans has brought about a comprehensive understanding of specific industry dynamics, engagements between key stakeholders in an industry, and the actions…

Thandi Phele is the Acting Deputy Director General of Industrial Competitiveness and Growth Branch at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). Since her appointment in the acting position, she has been providing thought leadership to South African industrial policy and driving key programmes aimed at industrialisation and localisation. Key among these, she continues to lead the development and implementation of various masterplans led by the dtic: Automotives; Retail-Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather; Poultry; Sugar; Steel and Metal Fabrication; and Furniture. She has been instrumental in the development and deployment of a number of industrial policy tools to…

Although declining slightly compared to the third quarter of 2020, South Africa maintained a high trade surplus in the fourth quarter of 2020, at R103 billion. Year-on-year, this marks a more than 300% increase in the trade surplus compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. The surplus is the result…

The Import Tracker is a quarterly analysis of import trends. It provides an overview of import patterns and look at the causes of surges in manufacturing imports, and their likely impact on industry. Quarter 4, 2020 is now available. Import Tracker Q4 2020.

This policy briefs aims to provide an overview of the characteristics of the vulnerable groups in the petroleum-based transport value chain; an understanding of the dimensions of the impact and expected timeframes for the transition; and an overview of the proposed resilience plans. It first looks at the characteristics of those…

Business Day - 8 February 2021 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)

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News 24 - 13 February 2021 by James de Villiers

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Engineering News - 15 February 2021 by Schalk Burger

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Fin 24 - 18 February 2021 by Lameez Omarjee

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Business Day - 22 February 2021 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)

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Mining Weekly - 23 February 2021 by Marleny Arnoldi

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Engineering News - 23 February 2021 by Donna Slater

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ESI Africa - 24 February 2021 by Theresa Smith

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Engineering News - 25 February 2021 by Tasneem Bulbulia

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Engineering News - 26 February 2021 by Terence Creamer

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Business Day - 7 March 2021  by Gaylor Montmasson-Clair

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