The Mining Charter (or the lack thereof) has clearly created great uncertainty. Amid this policy vacuum mining companies went on an investment strike, and their employees simply went on strike! The fault lies at the feet of many in the previous administration. They made both errors of commission and omission. Errors of commission are plentiful — just look at the state of our state-owned enterprises (SOEs) — all that money wasted and stolen from our people. But the errors of omission are just as large and just as significant. The previous administration was so focused on malfeasance that it forgot to govern. They were supposed to provide policy certainty, but failed miserably on this count. Nature abhors a vacuum. Financial markets are no different. They abhor the vacuum of knowledge. Financial markets are adept at handling facts, as facts speak for themselves.

Markets can also handle risk, because with risk one has a decent idea of the various possible outcomes and how likely ...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.