Premium: Support for W Cape Independence from a most unlikely source

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST BIZNEWS BUSINESS BRIEFING (on iTunes): Oil price falls sharply; Purple's blockbuster Asian deal; Charlie Robertson on W Cape Independence; Remote work debate (Click here for Spotify).Neither of us intended it, but my interview yesterday with Renaissance Capital's chief economist Charlie Robertson found a natural path into the debate on Western Cape independence..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.What surprised me was his forthright response when I asked for a counter to the secession lobby. He couldn't offer one. Instead, he then presented a number of examples that supported those who want to take the province out of SA's Union that was created by the British colonists in 1910..It's a sobering discussion with the author of the masterful book The Time Travelling Economist: Why Education, Electricity and Fertility are the key to escaping poverty. Not for those who like sanitised information. Have a watch of the recording – click here..More for you to read today: .Ramaphosa confirms under oath he will defy Zondo. DA MP says in an affidavit the president vigorously defends and justifies the cadre deployment policy of his political party.How Occidental Petroleum Captured Warren Buffett's Eye. Oil-and-gas producer has cut debt, raised dividends and is top performer in S&P 500.Shrinking Deficits Cushion Fed's Retreat From Markets. Some analysts had wondered if stocks and bonds would be hammered by the reversal of stimulus. The opposite has happened, though it's early yet.How China's Propaganda Influences the West. Millions around the world now rely on Beijing's mouthpieces as their primary sources for news..South Africa features in Charlie Robertson's recently released book, The Time Travelling Economist: Why Education, Electricity and Fertility are the key to escaping poverty. Not in a flattering way. So we asked the author, whose day job is chief economist of the world's leading emerging markets specialists Renaissance Capital, to unpack his masterful analysis of what drives economic growth by comparing countries over extended periods. In this interview with Alec Hogg of Biznews, Robertson uses numerous examples to explain what bedevils the South African economy – using the three key economic factors to explain part of SA's massive underperformance in the past half century. A sobering assessment by an independent thinker – and grist for the mill of the Western Cape independence lobby. A must listen..NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via Biznews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our helpdesk can assist –support@biznews.com.

Premium: Support for W Cape Independence from a most unlikely source

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