Allan Gray points out the real problem at Eskom – a productivity meltdown
Eskom employs 50% more people and pays them almost double the real wages of 14 years ago. Yet they deliver the same amount of power.
electricity production
Germans kept power stations running despite bombing – lessons for Eskom
Stats guru Krzysztof Wojciechowicz draws on 70 year old historical data for suggestions that Eskom might consider. During the latter stages of World War Two, Nazi Germany managed to keep its power generation virtually constant.
Germany a significant SA coal importer
By accounting for 9% of total tonnage shipped, South Africa remained a significant supplier of coal to Germany in the first quarter of 2014 – in spite of the environmental protection-driven clampdown in that country on coal-fired electricity generation. Until 2006, South Africa was the most important supplier of hard coal burnt in German power … Read more
Another interest rate hike? Annabel Bishop discusses what we can expect from next week’s MPC meeting
The Monetary Policy Committee at the South African Reserve Bank meet next week. Nomura International expects a 50-basis point increase from the Reserve Bank. Meanwhile, the IMF has warned that it’s likely to cut South Africa’s growth prospects if there are further issues with strikes. Annabel Bishop, Chief Economist at Investec discusses what she expects … Read more
Cheep protein for the poor? The communists just don’t get it, do they?
I’m still rather confused about the impact of the new poultry tariffs. One of the guests we interviewed on CNBC Africa’s Power Lunch told us that the recently imposed duties will  double chicken prices at fast food stores. If that’s true, why no consumer outcry? Yfm’s CEO Kanthan Pillay has taken a different approach. He … Read more