Policy, Law, Economics and Politics - Deepening Democracy through Access to Information
This privately-owned website is operated and maintained by Creamer Media
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Beth Shirley.
Making headlines:
Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies said yesterday that South Africa should have the "courage" to increase tariffs where there is evidence to show that this would prevent the destruction of the economy's productive capacity.
Speaking in Parliament, Davies argued that, in the context of the prevailing global economic crisis, the "overriding risk" is the further de-industrialisation of the South African economy, "with the consequential destruction of capacity to sustain and increase decent work".
South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 23,5% in the first quarter of 2009 as the mining and manufacturing sectors in particular, struggled to adjust to the recession, as well as a fall-off in demand for South African exports.
To reverse this slump, Davies argued that both industrial- and trade-policy instruments should be used, with trade policy acting as a support to the country's overarching industrial-policy objectives.
Somewhat controversially, South Africa will also consider "defensive measures", within the space allowed by World Trade Organisation antiprotectionist rules.
Many African countries should focus on lowering the cost of broadband access to boost their economies, states a new World Bank report on information and communication technology.
Seven sub-Saharan countries scored the lowest possible result in a new technology ranking, owing to weak regulation, limited competition, lack of private investment and low average incomes.
However, development is going in the right direction, the report says, and Africa's innovations in the fields of mobile banking and free mobile call roaming are already copied on other continents.
The report finds a strong link between gross domestic product growth and broadband access, underlying the need for stimulus programmes in which governments around the world have allocated billions of dollars to expand high-speed Internet access to fight recession.
South Africa's model of healthcare financing is "primitive" and unsustainable, and will be abandoned, said Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi during his budget vote speech in Parliament yesterday.
Motsoaledi says that, of the 8,5% of the gross domestic product that was spent on healthcare, only 3,5% of the GDP catered for 84% of the population's healthcare. The other 5% catered for just 14% of the population or seven-million people.
Motsoaledi said that critics of the government's proposed National Health Insurance were "hard at work" to prove that the government was going to overburden the rich with increased taxes.
The Health Minister explained, however, that the NHI is a system of universal health coverage where every citizen is covered by healthcare insurance, rich or poor.
Also making headlines:
Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says that there is no evidence for a review of Schabir Shaik's parole.
The Department of Higher Education and Training plans to increase access to higher education.
Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale says that South Africa's housing fund shortfall may swell to R102-billion by 2012.
And, Zimbabwe secures $950-million in credit from China.
That's a roundup of news making headlines today.
0 Comments
Topics on this page
