On Friday 3 March 2017 the South African Police Service (SAPS) briefed the Portfolio Committee on Police on the National Crime Statistics for April to December 2016. In June 2016 the government announced that crime statistics will henceforth be released quarterly, because the “need for frequent statistics will ...

There's a broad and busy flavour to this week's parliamentary business in the National Assembly chamber - it includes oral questions to the deputy president, members’ statements, notices of motions, a debate, and the processing of assorted bills, international agreements and committee reports.

The main plenary highlight will be the ...

The Minister of Finance delivered the 2017 Budget Speech on Wednesday 22 February. The speech focused on decreasing government expenditure and raising tax revenues with the aim to ‘balance spending commitments, particularly in higher education, health and social protection, and ensuring the long-term health of the public finances'.

The Minister ...

The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, will deliver the 2017 Budget Speech tomorrow, 22 February 2017 at 14h00. The budget is a culmination of processes that start in the previous year with the aim of making the most efficient use of public funds.

See infographic below on the budget cycle ...

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's budget speech on Wednesday will dominate the headlines this week. The Minister has a tough job to do as he seeks to address significant social challenges and reassure investors about the country’s growth prospects. The speech itself will largely focus on the planned use of taxpayer ...

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) collects data on the labour market activities of individuals aged 15 years and above who live in South Africa. Statistics South Africa released the QLFS Quarter 4:2016 (October – December 2016) on Tuesday, 14 February 2017.

The working age population increased by 1.7% and ...

The South African government’s failure to fix a corrupted R10 billion social grant payment contract has caused a crisis that threatens to disturb monthly payments to millions of vulnerable households. The Conversation Africa’s business and economy editor Sibonelo Radebe asked Jannie Rossouw to explain what’s at stake.

Thousands wait in ...

Before we get in to this week's schedule, we have to make a quick comment about last week's dramatic events.

Sadly, this was not a surprise. This was a sequel to SONA 2015 and 2016. There were warning signs – heavy security, deployment of soldiers, threats by the EFF, media ...

The 2017 State of the Nation (SONA) is just hours away. Read some interesting facts on SONAs in South Africa as well as how the occasion is carried out in other parts of the world.

Seeinfographic below for more on SONAs at home and abroad!

It’s one of the most important speeches that the President delivers in any year. With a prime time tv audience, it is a tremendous PR opportunity for the President to simultaneously lay out his agenda and reassure doubters - both local and foreign.

There are a few safe bets for ...