By Jonathan Brady
Thursday, April 20, 2017








In light of some of those proclaiming the cabinet shuffle is a response to western imperialist institutions a reminder is needed for sensibility to prevail. By all indications, South Africa’s economic relations are still pretty much business as usual. ANC divisions aren’t resultant of political inclinations or loyalty to ideological global factions, but simply where the money is and who’s offering more of it, plain and simple. US and UK firms still form the bulk of our the country’s foreign direct investment. The impending Brexit saga has most trade houses (including the Department of Trade and Industry) quite excited as it puts South Africa back at the forefront of Britain’s trade partner list.
New finance minister Malusi Gigaba has not only accepted this, he’s pandering to it in the most overt fashion (and he can’t be blamed either). His recent admission that ‘the New Treasury Director General will be in the proud tradition of Ramos, Kganyago and Fuzile‘ is an obvious gesture to quell investor fears.
With South Africa’s economy constituting over 60% in FDI,?the real challenge lies not in?who we?play ball with, but in how we maximize relationships (diplomatic and economic) for our own benefit. Like all good treaties and agreements (a-la-constitution), signing the papers comes easy, implementing the long term strategy and vision is another story entirely. Relating this comment to our beloved BRICS – a platform most believe to be a countenance to the ‘established order’ of things, there are a few points one should be wise to remember. South Africa’s ‘darling partners’ have long infiltrated its economy to the detriment of our own industries and job markets. Some examples include:




It seems only India has invested heavily and more sensibly into the country (Guptas excluded). 2015 heralded R95 billion worth of capital invested by the now 100+ companies operating in SA. From pharmaceuticals to construction materials, Indian companies have behaved in a more considerable manner. This contrasts the leftover/dumping policy of other BRICS partners considerably.
Conclusively, South Africa’s diplomatic and economic agendas seldom display any unilateral goals, rather who has the best deal, and where in these deals can leaders score for themselves. Radical Economic Transformation has – as most have seen already – been seen for what it actually is, a populist term thrown in the public lexicon for public currency in the voter pool. Partners in South Africa’s diplomatic and economic relations aren’t at odds, nor are they uneasy at sharing slices of our pie. It’s us who’re losing out. An analogy to family members waiting at the by-lines while our guests gorge themselves seems to be the picture we’ve currently created for ourselves. It’s time we started doing some real housekeeping








Ian de Jager
Blogging regularly on
Trivia SA
, Ian has a passion for trivia and a deep love for South Africa and its people. The urge to expand South African's general knowledge is strong with this one.
Recent Posts
News24 Voices
The invitation only blogging platform where experts write about Business, Current Events, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Politics and Sport. Do you know what you’re talking about, and looking for the platform to publish? Mail us at
voices@news24.com
and we will consider you.
Terms and Conditions
All blogs published on News24 Voices have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of bloggers published on News24 Voices are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. More terms and conditions can be accessed
here
cheap real jordans
cheap jordans
cheap Authentic jordans
cheap jordan shoes
cheap jordans for sale

?site=forum_topic&topic=46460

http://eurotest.euro-c...s/beginning#comment-12228

?topic=590448.msg365809#msg365809


cheap retro jordans
cheap jordan shoes
cheap real jordans
www.crafthammerdesign.com
cheap air jordans

http://studiozabol.cba...orum_topic&topic=5160

http://users.atw.hu/do...orum_topic&topic=5304

http://southbitch.free...rum_topic&topic=10001