General strike by Cosatu in October seems more likely

Labour unrest could become part of the price the South African economy might have to pay for the unfolding battle within the ranks of the country’s governing alliance. Unless relations between the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and its ally, the African National Congress (ANC) as leader of the ruling alliance, improve dramatically in the immediate to near future, the country could face a crippling general strike by October of this year.

Read more: Labour unrest threatens

The Budget as a service to the taxpayer

The South African taxpayer is still bruised and not yet recovered from the recession, and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan wisely realised that it would not be in the interest of the economy to squeeze an extra few billion out of empty pockets that in the end are providing jobs for those who are clinging to it for dear life, writes Hein Kruger, financial markets analyst and managing director of Kruger International Wealth Management, as well as author of "Budgeting".

Read more: Budget 2010

Are we actually out of the woods?

In the clear light of early 2010, we know that the United States and the United Kingdom have emerged from recession, realising along the way that there was not, in fact, a global credit crunch, only a Western credit crunch. Much of the East was just fine, thank you very much. South Africa also has emerged tentatively from recession, but is there an aftershock on its way?

Read more: Investment outlook

The No 1 Foreign Direct Investor in India for the last decade

Over the years, Mauritius has evolved as an international financial centre of substance.  The thriving financial sector, contributing to nearly 11% to GDP, is home to 19 banks and 18 insurance and re-insurance companies serving both domestic and global markets. Islamic Finance and Wealth Management have grown to have an even larger influence on the economy recently. With 91 companies listed and an ever growing market capitalization, the Stock Exchange of Mauritius continues to be among the top exchanges in the region.

Read more: Mauritius

Do we really need estate duty?

While it is unlikely that the current ANC government will have the political will to abolish estate duty as levied under the Estate Duty Act, 45 of 1955, it does not detract from the fact that – as a source of revenue for the fiscus – it has become completely obsolete. The revenue estimate for the 2010 fiscal year for estate duty and donations tax together is less than R1 billion out of expected revenue of around R600bn. In fact, at the moment estate duty probably does more harm than good to the country, writes Louis van Vuren, head of Personal Fiduciary Services at BoE Trust Ltd.

Read more: Tax matters

Davos results inconclusive

The world is experiencing a statistical economic recovery, but a human recession. That is how United States President Barack Obama’s economic adviser Larry Summers, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, aptly described the global economic scene in the face of tentative signs of its emerging from the worst recession in more than 70 years. There were plenty commitments but few concrete plans on the table at the end of the four-day summit, with probably the only clear result that the world is heading for stronger regulation of the financial industry aimed at averting a next crisis and saving powerful politicians’ bacon.

Read more: Bank regulation