Suid-Afrika se probleme is geen lone, nie lae lone nie
Deur Paul Maritz, Free SA direkteur Die minister van arbeid, Nomakhosazana Meth, het onlangs aangekondig dat die nasionale minimumloon verhoog sal word met 4,4%. Na afloop van hierdie verhoging, so spog haar party, is die nasionale minimumloon nou R28,79 per uur. Haar departement is egter verkeerd. Die werklike minimumloon in Suid-Afrika is nie R28,79 per […]
Die obsessie met grond, die werklikheid van geld en die oplossing
Deur Reuben Coetzer, woordvoerder vir Free SA Min onderwerpe wek soveel politieke emosie in Suid-Afrika soos grondhervorming. Die ANC dring daarop aan dat grond die mees fundamentele uitdaging en probleem van ons tyd is en dat radikale staatsinmenging en wetsontwerp nodig is om die foute van die verlede reg te stel. Dit is die regverdiging […]
The promise of 1994, the reality of 2025
By Reuben Coetzer, Free SA spokesperson Democratic South Africa’s constitutional dawn in 1994 was luminous with the promise of non-racialism, the promise of a future of hope for all South Africans. It was a radical departure from our segregated, hurtful past—a firm commitment to treating every citizen equally before the law and no longer based […]
Skip sonder ʼn roer
Deur Reuben Coetzer, woordvoerder vir Free SA Werkloosheid in Suid-Afrika is soos ʼn skip wat stadig sink terwyl die bemanning aanhou water uitskep met te klein emmers – waarskynlik ʼn spreekwoordelike Titanic, wat verdoem is tot ʼn sekerlike einde tensy drastiese ingryping plaasvind. Ja, die amptelike werkloosheidsyfer het in die vierde kwartaal van 2024 afgeneem […]
Onteiening: Kaptein Ahab jag steeds sy walvis
Deur Paul Maritz, Free SA direkteur Naby aan die einde van Herman Melville se 1851 meesterstuk, as dit vir almal aan boord duidelik geword het dat kaptein Ahab se obsessie met Moby Dick se dood tot hulle almal se einde gaan lei, skreeu sy eerste stuurman, Starbuck, vir hom: “Dit is nog nie te laat […]
The cobra on the counter: How another sin tax helps no one but the government
by Paul Maritz, Director at Free SA The South African government is currently considering further tax increases on alcoholic beverages, ostensibly to combat alcohol abuse. At first glance, this might seem like a logical and well-intended initiative. However, as with many simplistic solutions to complex problems, history has shown that so-called sin taxes are not […]
State Capture 2.0? SA’s latest lesson in political déjà vu
By Reuben Coetzer, Free SA spokesperson South Africa’s ruling class has an uncanny ability to learn all the wrong lessons from history. Every time we think we’ve hit rock bottom, the government appears with a fresh shovel, determined to dig deeper. Enter the National State Enterprises Bill, a legislative proposal that seeks to consolidate South […]
Paul Maritz: National State Enterprises Bill is the path to state capture 2.0
by Paul Maritz, Director at Free SA SA’s relationship with its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reads like a screenplay from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather — mismanagement, corruption, financial waste and exorbitantly expensive tailor-made suits. Yet despite all of these failures government has decided to stay the course — marching straight towards even more centralisation of power and […]