Budget Speech

Here.

Growth stimulus

Engineering News identifies 4 components to the stimulus plan outlined in the State of the Nation yesterday:

• implementation of scheduled public investment projects, the value of which is currently at ZAR690bn;
• `Intensified’ public sector employment programmes;
• measures against “‘excessive’ investment slowdown by the private sector” (this presumably means something like state support, or rescue packages for `key’ industries); and
• expanded social expenditure (through existing channels – the old age pension and child care grant)

See the whole article  here.

Namibia to have competition authority?

AllAfrica reports that the Nambia may finally be getting round to setting up their competition authority this year, at least that’s according to the Permanent Secretary and Minster of Trade and Industry. This is not before time.The Competition Act is No. 2 of 2003. This toolkit from CUTS describes the Act as in many ways resembling the South African Act, and also provides for the establishment of a Namibian Competition Commission.

The article then goes on to describe the creation of the Commission as somehow being related to the conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Commission. But there are good reasons for Namibia to improve its competition law enforcement, independently of extra-continental trade agreements. For instance, the South African authority has been extremely active in the prosecution of cartels in recent times. There has been alleged cartel activity and bid-rigging in bread, maize, steel, pipe products, amongst others in the past few years. Given that almost all the companies allegedly involved operate also in Namibia (after all Namibia and South Africa are both in the Southern African Customs Union), it would be surprising if this collusive behaviour did not also extend into Namibia.

This also goes to the possible need for regional approaches to competition law enforcement, discussed in this article in the Business Day in which Nkonzo Hlatshwayo, erstwhile head of M&A at the SA Competition Commission floats the idea of a joint COMESA / SADC regional authority. The progress on these topics has been slow. There has been little indication that there is the real political will to confront some of the sovereignty questions involved in terms of effective regional integration. The last I checked, Swaziland for instance was still a member of SACU, SADC and COMESA, each of which call for a single common external tariff.

In the mean time, while countries decide on which regional groupings to join and how to finalise the EPAs, and what shape domestic competition policy should have, collusive behaviour and other anticompetitive conduct will continue to go unchecked.

Powerboats

Via International Trade Law News a very interesting story about the US Commerce Department attempting to prevent the reexport from South Africa of a Bladerunner 51 powerboat to Iran.  The temporary denial order is here.  The order asserts that it it is believed that the powerboat is being purchased for use by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

Zuma’s 5 backup plans

Africa Confidential has an outline of the options available to Mr Jacob Zuma in his pursuit of the country’s presidency.  They count from (A) to (F).

Carl Niehaus makes the case in the Business Day as to why, legally, Mr Zuma’s right to a speedy trial has been infringed. Prof De Vos’ response is here. While Prof De Vos may be correct from the perspective of the law (I have no opinion on the matter), it is fairly clear that failing to charge Mr Zuma earlier was a major strategic error from his opponents, and in the endgame that may be all that matters.