For some time now, we have been reporting that the legal framework of South Africa’s labour relations is in trouble. Last week the Free Market Foundation (FMF) announced it will challenge the constitutionality of particularly Section 32 of the Labour Relations Act in the Gauteng North High Court. A top leadership consultant Jonathan Yudelowitz says trade unions are holding the economy and businesses to ransom.

When South Africa became the fifth member of the then Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) grouping of emerging economies – which thereafter became known as the Brics grouping – there were plenty of sceptics, both inside and outside the country. As SA is about to host the fifth Brics summit meeting next week in Durban, the picture has changed dramatically. 

The global financial crisis of 2008 has developed into a global unemployment crisis which, in turn, is fast becoming a political crisis. The impact is likely to be epic –geopolitically, economically and socially – and while the details may differ, a similar process is taking place in South Africa. 

Although South Africa, like most of the rest of the world, has for some years been experiencing ‘jobless’ economic growth, the pursuit of higher economic growth is the single most agreed-upon policy strategy. This consensus, however, could be blinding us to the fact that economic growth may be only half the solution. 

The world after the current global economic crisis “will neither look nor feel as it did in the lifetimes of those of us who grew up in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s”, says an internationally reputable economist. Ironically, some 80 years ago, the man credited with much of modern macro-economic practice and theory, John Maynard Keynes, foresaw one of the major threats to the system. 

Today, 19 March 2013, marks the formal installation and ascension to the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina as Pope Francis. He has already chalked up some ‘firsts’ in church history, most notably as the first pope from outside Europe – but events from his past have stolen some of the limelight.

“Don’t be a mugu!” exclaims a voice in the background of an advertisement currently on television. For me, the term elicits the picture of a rough drifter, living on the fringes of society, being somewhat of a fool. A closer look, however, reveals some interesting facets of this word, and the reason that South Africans feel insulted by Nigerian fraudsters. 

Perhaps the defeat over the weekend of the two until now unbeaten South African Vodacom Super Rugby title contenders – the Sharks (at home, to boot) and the Bulls – has sent a timeous warning to Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer that South Africa’s so-called strengths are, in fact, weaknesses. 

South Africa took the series lead against Pakistan in a thriller one-day match at the Wanderers on Sunday – but a freight train called Shahid Afridi almost derailed the home team’s effort, with an extraordinary assault that yielded 88 runs off 48 balls. But the Proteas managed to chalk up another batting world record.