Latest from the IRR

‘Praat gaan nie help nie – ons soek oplossings’ – Rapport, 26 April 2015

Dit lyk asof Mmusi Maimane vir seker die volgende leier van die opposisie sal wees. Baie mense kritiseer sy gebrek aan politieke ervaring, maar die DA het oorgenoeg bekwame strategiese leiers wat hom kan help. Wat belangrik is, is waarheen mnr Maimane die DA beleidsgewys sal lei. Ek het mnr Maimane gevra om in sy eie woorde hierop te antwoord met die volgende vyf vrae.

The IRR's Better Expropriation Bill

22 April 2015 – The Expropriation Bill of 2015, recently put forward by public works minister Thulas Nxesi, (the Nxesi Bill) will make it much harder to build prosperity and overcome past disadvantage by undermining property rights, deterring investment, and choking off growth and jobs, warns the IRR (Institute of Race Relations).

IRR statement on hooliganism at the University of Cape Town

9 April 2015 – Rhodes and his statue are not the concern – our concern is exclusively how quickly a tide of intimidation was able to overcome the liberal culture of open academic discourse that should prevail on all our campuses and what this means for the future of our academic institutions.

Housing cutbacks mooted, but unlikely

1 April 2015 – A Fast Facts report released today by the IRR finds that expenditure on housing has grown faster than any other budget item since 1999, and that the Government is unlikely to curtail it.

Só word SA tree vir tree gelei na sosialisme – Rapport, 29 March 2015

Party kritici sê ons ontleding is verkeerd en daar word geen poging aangewend om Suid-Afrika na sosialisme te lei nie. Maar die huidige beleidsrigting is duidelik sosialisties van aard en word deur die toenemende invloed van die SAKP gedryf. 40% van die kabinet is inderdaad lede van dié party en nie een van hulle ontken dat ons ont­leding reg is nie.

The stink is not about just one statue, it is about tolerance – Business Day, 23 March 2015

Until a "throw poo at your peril" invention comes along, the Rhodes statue will remain vulnerable to attack. Even so, it should remain where it is for the simple reason that moving it would be to capitulate to vandalism and intolerance. No university, least of all one espousing the ideals of academic freedom, can afford to give in to such forces without compromising its very ethos.

Eskom still faces massive 18 000 MW power shortfall

18 March 2015 – “South Africa’s precarious electricity supply is a national crisis which is crippling our economy,” says engineer Andrew Kenny in an analysis published today in @Liberty, the policy bulletin of the IRR.

Worrying dropout rates at school and university level - IRR report

13 March 2015 – Only half of children who enrol in grade 1 will ever have the experience of sitting in a matric class. Of those fortunate enough to make it to matric, only half will write mathematics as a subject. Also, only one in four matric pupils will pass maths with 50% or higher.

Small business and the BEE burden – BizNews, 4 March 2015

When it first came to fruition under Mandela’s South Africa, the equal opportunities act showed huge promise in rectifying inequalities perpetuated by the Apartheid government. Twenty odd years later, BEE has grown out of proportion and deviated from its original purpose – to empower those who were historically disadvantaged.

Encouraging expropriation – Daily Maverick, 3 March 2015

The government says the current Expropriation Act of 1975 is unconstitutional and has to be replaced. To this end, it has recently put forward a reworked Expropriation Bill, but this Bill is just as unconstitutional as the present statute.

Trade unions lose control of the workshop floor

9 February 2015 – Fewer than one in five South Africans who are economically active are choosing to join trade unions. Registered union membership declined by 26% between 1994 and 2014. This is according to the latest South Africa Survey, published by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in Johannesburg.

Unintended consequences of ANC land proposals – BizNews.com, 5 February 2015

The African National Congress (ANC) has been canny in proposing 12 000 hectares as the maximum amount of land that farmers may own. Though this may not suffice to farm successfully in the Karoo, it is enough to meet the needs of many farmers. By contrast, if a cap of 500 hectares had been proposed, this would have sparked an uproar and cast doubt on the country’s food security.

Traffic in the sky

3 February 2015 – The highest number of international aircraft movements in the past 10 years was recorded in 2014, according to the latest South Africa Survey, released this week by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR). Between 2002/03 and 2013/14 international aircraft movements increased by 57% from 47 294 to 74 088. The traffic in the sky is on the increase.

Support for flawed mining bill is driven by fear, not respect – Business Day, 29 January 2015

THE Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill of 2013 has been sent back to Parliament for more consultation and possibly extensive change. The bill was so damaging to an already struggling mining sector that the industry was widely expected to welcome a rethink. Instead, the Chamber of Mines has expressed dismay at the delay in the bill’s adoption. Though this response seems surprising, the chamber has reason to fear that a new bill may be even worse.