Hilary Joffe

3 days ago | businesslive.co.za | Hilary Joffe

Standard Bank CEO Sim Tshabalala has weighed in again on the high cost of capital for African countries, saying countries must “get their act together” to improve transparency and provide money managers and ratings agencies with the information they need to properly assess country risk. Tshabalala had previously called out ratings agencies for their role in the “Africa risk perception premium” and he did so again on Tuesday, saying ratings agencies needed to be called to account.

4 days ago | businesslive.co.za | Hilary Joffe

Transport minister Barbara Creecy plans to table a new Rail Bill later this year that will entrench far-reaching reforms to open up the sector to private participation in legislation and provide certainty for investors.

1 week ago | businesslive.co.za | Hilary Joffe

The upside of the controversy that has erupted over Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie (https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/economy/2025-06-10-capitec-ceo-argues-sas-jobless-rate-as-low-as-10/)’s 10% unemployment estimate is that it has shone the light on SA’s informal economy and the need to enable more of it, not less, to tackle SA’s unemployment crisis.

1 week ago | businesslive.co.za | Hilary Joffe

SA has fallen four places — to 64th out of 69 countries — in the latest rankings of economic competitiveness  as measured by the influential IMD World Competitiveness Center (https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness-ranking/). Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong topped the latest annual rankings, “reflecting their strong performance in global indicators of quality of life”, the IMD said in a statement accompanying the rankings...

2 weeks ago | businesslive.co.za | Hilary Joffe

As Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago often reminds us, no-one likes a high cost of living and inflation is a tax on the poor. The Bank is now conducting an active campaign to cut SA’s inflation target to 3%. But it may find it easier to win the hearts and minds of the public than the support of the Treasury, which is still mulling the mixed impact on public finances.