The So What?

In this episode we look at the big picture, especially the shifting trade relations between SA, China and the US.For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

In this episode we tell the story of a young entrepreneur from Pretoria, whose award-winning innovation can change the delivery of medicine all over Africa.For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

After the Department of Health’s presentation to parliament three weeks ago and the medium-term budget statement last week, NHI is back in the headlines. Let’s see if we can come to grips with where we’re at. It’s a complex topic, so we’re spending a little bit more time on it than usual. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

In this episode, JP makes a case for his belief that South Africa has over the last five years shifted from being – or trying to be – a developmental state, to being a partnership state, where government and the private sector work together to build the country’s systems and structures. It is co-ordinated from the Presidency by what is called Project Vulindlela, which translates as “open the way”. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

In a speech a few weeks ago, the outgoing CEO of Capitec cast doubt on the accuracy of the country’s recognition of the informal sector, and therefore the unemployment rate. In this episode, we look at how StatsSA arrive at their figures, and how that compares with international best practice. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

Both South Africa's budget and the president's visit to the White House got a lot of air time recently. After the dust has settled, where do we stand? For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

Up to now, South Africa’s parliament could only vote yes or no to a budget prepared by Treasury. They had no say over the nitty gritty. This time round, that has changed. It’s all in their hands. Which way will they decide: cut the expenditure cloak to fit the cloth of diminished income, or borrow more and incur a heavier debt burden? For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

We look at two momentous developments on the same day: the passing of the fiscal framework with a paper-thin majority, and Donald Trump's trade tariffs against friend and foe. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

South Africa faces a deepening water crisis as water boards go unpaid and supply to customers is interrupted. This episode discusses how the system works, where it breaks down and what is being done about it. The good news: a lot is happening and has happened to secure the bulk supply. Municipalities remain the weakest link, but there too things are shifting. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

In just 40 days in office, Donald Trump has change the world order fundamentally – for the worse. What does this mean for South Africa, and what is the best response? For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

AMSA’s closure of its long steel operations has caused a furore. It fits into a global picture a decade or more in the making, and it illuminates a hard policy choice for our government, like all governments: protect an industry and make the product more expensive, or let the industry find its way and define a different focus for your industrial policy. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

Turning South Africa into one big construction site is the expressed ideal of ministers from both the ANC and the DA. What is the state of play and what are the prospects? For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

After an exceptionally busy two weeks in politics and policy, we discuss continued progress with structural reform, supported by government-business co-operation; and also the local and national implications of instability in Gauteng metro governments. Some you win, some you lose. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

Two-and-a-half months after the election, the Government of National Unity is holding. In this episode, we look at what is keeping it together, the benefits of that unity, and what may threaten it in future. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

This episode looks at the very important things that did NOT happen in this election season, as well as exploring the possibilities of the brand new coalition territory we’re entering into. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

52 days before the election we look at the impact of the formation of Jacob Zuma’s MK Party, and reflect on possible developments after the elections, which may prove more important than what happens before 29 May 2024.For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

On the eve of the national elections, this episode outlines the broad patterns that can be discerned from poll numbers, and considers possible coalitions if the ANC were to lose their ruling majority. In light of speculation about policy uncertainty and populism, we also look at trends in the 2024 budget.So what? Expectations that we will have “a new national government” are unrealistic. Nationally, the ANC will still be the biggest party by a margin and will invite other parties to join a coalition if necessary. The major question is whether coalition governments may need to be formed on provincial level. Economic policies, meanwhile, are holding steady. The issue is not uncertainty but the pace of implementation. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

This episode unpacks the Integrated Resource Plan 2023, recently published for public comment in order to replace the previous version from 2019. It is a deeply disappointing document, visionless and without urgency.So what? Eskom will not get us out of the our energy crisis. The utility’s energy availability factor keeps falling, sketching a relentless downward trend. Fortunately, regulatory reform since 2021 has opened the way for the private sector to step into the breach. This is happening. An opportunity for re-industrialisation in the sphere of renewable energy still exists. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

In this episode, JP reflects on his impressions after a short study visit to China. In just 45 years, they have lifted themselves out of poverty. It is an astonishing achievement. So what? The hallmark of the Chinese growth story is pragmatism and pursuing what works. They will determine their own destiny, regardless of the actions of outsiders. For more about JP, and to read his newsletter, please visit his website.

Hosted Ruda Landman, The So What podcast is a series of chats with political-economic analyst JP Landman. Each episode takes a deep dive into a South African issue - load shedding, corruption, politics, economics, foreign policy or anything in between. This is the podcast where you can learn the facts and discover insights about the complex South African socio-political landscape.