A Good Week for SA and a Bad Week for Herman Mashaba
The country as a whole breathed a huge sigh of relief at credit rating agency S&P Global’s decision to hold back from downgrading SA to sub-investment grade, which would have left us all poorer, facing a bleak Christmas. Not that we’re out of the woods yet. SA has a year’s reprieve — under a negative outlook — until the next round of ratings. It is up to government to maintain fiscal responsibility — and up to the ruling ANC to end the political instability and state corruption that has us teetering on the brink of junk status.
It is one thing to seek to control immigration, quite another to brand all illegal immigrants as "criminals who should be treated as such", as Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba threatens to do. Emboldened perhaps by Brexit and the Orange One’s plan for a wall along the US-Mexico border, Mashaba seems to have acquired the populist touch: "You see, for me, when I call these criminals ‘criminals’, I want them to understand that they are criminals," he sai...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
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.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.