South Africa is blessed with a rich endowment of mineral resources. For over a century, mining has formed the foundation of South Africa's economic development. However, the industry is struggling to survive in a hostile regulatory environment.

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with mining finance professional, Paul Miller, about the problems affecting South African mining, and how to resuscitate this critical industry. 

How do we find solutions to the many problems confronting South Africa today? In this special edition 50th episode of the 'Solutions With David Ansara' podcast, I look back on the recurring themes on the show since it began in April 2021. 

This episode includes short extracts from nine longer conversations, grouped into three thematic sections:

- [Section 1] Rethinking South Africa's political institutions and system of governance

- [Section 2] Community-led approaches to safety and security in South Africa

- [Section 3] Political decentralisation (lessons from abroad)

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Introduction

(01:30) Politics and governance in South Africa

(01:54) Helen Zille on community-driven initiatives 

(03:43) Richard Wilkinson on why decentralisation of power matters 

(09:07) Piet le Roux on building alternative institution

(14:25) Safety and security

(14:44) Gideon Joubert on community safety after the July 2021 riots

(19:35) Ian Cameron on devolution of policing in the Western Cape

(25:45) Frans Cronje on what South Africans should do 

(30:40) International perspectives

(30:58) Douglas Carswell on the decentralisation of political power 

(35:39) Stephen Davies on bottom-up approaches to government 

(40:58) Johan Norberg on the link between individual freedom and prosperity 

(43:44) Conclusion

FULL EPISODES

[SWDA#1] Helen Zille on surviving wokeness: https://youtu.be/ZoCsWLv5LkU

[SWDA#9] Richard Wilkinson on federalism in South Africa: https://youtu.be/vFLg8pn8OqI

[SWDA#11] Piet le Roux on state-proofing your business: https://youtu.be/-pP9ktNwJ5o

[SWDA#13] Gideon Joubert on community safety in a time of crisis: https://youtu.be/j_ESQXv4sGk

[SWDA#27] Ian Cameron on winning the fight against crime: https://youtu.be/KRKi0zxURp0

[SWDA #15] Frans Cronje on the future of South Africa: https://youtu.be/Ona0WG7UDpU

[SWDA #19] Douglas Carswell on Progress vs. Parasites: https://youtu.be/Hp08dY6VPuA

[SWDA #25] Stephen Davies on the political realignment: https://youtu.be/MQ5HvatKSx4

[SWDA #41] Johan Norberg on open societies: https://youtu.be/daQm3S4umvw

Has international development aid done more harm than good in sub-Saharan Africa? 

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with Dr Greg Mills,  Director of the Brenthurst Foundation and the author of 'Expensive Poverty', about the failings of the development aid model.

How do we solve the problem of political polarisation? In this episode of Solutions With David Ansara, I speak with writer and communications consultant, Alistair Fairweather, about how we can improve public discourse by being less tribalistic in our political affiliations. 

LINKS

'Right vs Left? Newsflash - you're all assholes' by Allistair Fairweather (10 April 2022): https://alistairfairweather.com/2022-04-10-right-vs-left-newsflash-youre-all-assholes

Alistair's website: https://alistairfairweather.com/

The news media in South Africa is under considerable financial and operational pressure. This is mostly due to the wave of digital disruption, which has shaken the very foundations of the industry. 

How do we access credible and trustworthy sources of information in this environment? In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with journalist and commentator, Kanthan Pillay, about the future of news media. 

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:51) Kanthan Pillay on his career in journalism

(06:17) Kanthan Pillay on the evolution of SA media 

(13:53) Kanthan Pillay on the brain drain in SA media

(24:56) Kanthan Pillay on SA's reading culture

(27:50) Kanthan Pillay on the Afrikaans media

(32:11) Kanthan Pillay on the credibility of traditional media

(41:05) Kanthan Pillay on improving your media consumption

(51:38) Kanthan Pillay on the future of the media

(57:44) Conclusion

LINKS:

Kanthan's website: https://kanthanpillay.com/

Is cancel culture undermining freedom of expression? In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with comedian and YouTuber, Joe Emilio, about how to end cancel culture.

How do we solve the persistent problem of youth unemployment in South Africa? 

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with Shawn Hagedorn, an independent analyst and strategy consultant, about how to promote export-driven labour-intensive growth. 

Shawn and I discuss the origins of South Africa's low growth trap, and the tragically high  unemployment rate, which disproportionately affects the country's youth. 

Shawn believes that the current policy framework is too inwardly-focused, with its emphasis on localisation and beneficiaition. 

Instead, he argues, we need to embrace globalisation and grow the economy through exports, as many East Asian economies have successfully done. 

Shawn and I debate the role that ideology plays in informing economic policy, and explore how labour market regulation effectively excludes millions of people from the job market.

We also speculate on the political battles that will define the run-up to the 2024 elections. How will a potential coalition government respond to the growing economic crisis facing the country?

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:06) Shawn Hagedorn on the origins of South Africa's youth unemployment crisis

(02:55) Shawn Hagedorn on SA's low export volumes

(05:56) Shawn Hagedorn on localisation

(07:35) Shawn Hagedorn on integrating with global value chains

(10:31) Shawn Hagedorn on beneficiation

(14:05) Shawn Hagedorn on labour market regulation

(17:11) Shawn Hagedorn on skills development

(19:54) Shawn Hagedorn on export constraints

(22:55) Shawn Hagedorn on political realignment in 2024

(27:58) Shawn Hagedorn on policy trade-offs

(31:25) Shawn Hagedorn on ideology and policy

(34:13) Shawn Hagedorn on the advantages of large companies

(36:32) Shawn Hagedorn on globalisation

(38:47) Shawn Hagedorn on accessing global markets

(40:28) Conclusion

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with lawyer and entrepreneur, Sebastian Chatov, about Russian history and the future of Ukraine.

Sebastian grew up in Bulgaria and Soviet Russia, and has lived in Johannesburg since the mid-1990s.

We reflect on the fraught relationship between Ukraine and Russia since the end of the Cold War, and Russia's desire to restore its 'Great Power' status in the region.

We explore Vladimir Putin's rise to power and the development of his worldview (a mixture of KGB paranoia and Gopnik culture). Did Putin miscalculate by invading Ukraine, I ask?

I also question Sebastian about whether the Eastern expansion of NATO played a role in provoking Russian aggression. 

Sebastian notes that Russia has an obligation to respect the territorial integrity of its neighbours, and that countries within Russia's historic "sphere of influence" have a sovereign right to join NATO if they so wish. 

If anything, Putin's invasion of Ukraine proves that a defensive alliance is necessary as a bulwark against Russia, he argues.

We conclude the discussion by exploring whether a diplomatic solution to the conflict is possible.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:47) Sebastian Chatov on growing up in the Soviet Union

(04:50) Sebastian Chatov on Ukraine and Russia since the end of the Soviet Union 

(13:46) Sebastian Chatov on Vladimir Putin

(20:03) Sebastian Chatov on the geopolitics of the war in Ukraine

(27:30) Sebastian Chatov on the clash of civilisations

(33:22) Sebastian Chatov on Russian propaganda

(39:14) Sebastian Chatov on Putin's miscalculations

(44:53) Sebastian Chatov on diplomatic solutions to the war

(58:27) Conclusion

In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with independent crime researcher, David Bruce, about why South Africa should adopt a more decentralised model of policing. 

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Introduction

(01:01) David Bruce on South Africa's current policing system

(03:48) David Bruce on the problems with a centralized police system

(06:42) David Bruce on the constitution and policing

(11:50) David Bruce on devolved policing

(17:30) David Bruce on police reform

(22:24) David Bruce on improving police governance 

(25:15) David Bruce on community policing

(31:31) David Bruce on the politics of policing

(37:18) David Bruce on the benefits of decentralization

RESOURCES

'SA requires more focused, nuanced provincial and metro policing responses to combat violent crime' by David Bruce (Daily Maverick, 7 February 2022): https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-02-07-sa-requires-more-focused-nuanced-provincial-and-metro-policing-responses-to-combat-violent-crime/

Is South Africa's electoral system fit for purpose? In this episode of the Solutions With David Ansara podcast, I speak with Marius Roodt of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) about how to make our democracy more representative.

Marius and I discuss the merits and demerits of South Africa's existing proportional representation system, as well as alternatives, such as the United Kingdom's 'first-past-the-post' system.

We also explore the consequences of the Constitutional Court judgement of 2020, which ruled that South Africa's electoral system should be amended to allow independent candidates to be represented in Parliament.

Marius argues that the Electoral Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament, is unnecessarily complex and could violate the constitutional principle of proportionality. Other systems, such as a mixed-member proportional representation system, would be better, he says. 

We also explore the benefits of federalism, and ways to enhance democratic participation at the local level. 

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:39) Marius Roodt on SA's proportional representation system

(05:19) Marius Roodt on 'First-past-the-post' systems

(10:20) Marius Roodt on the Constitutional Court judgement

(13:12) Marius Roodt on the problems with the Electoral Amendment Bill

(22:59) Marius Roodt on the Van Zyl Slabbert Commission recommendations 

(26:13) Marius Roodt on alternative proposals

(29:52) Marius Roodt on federalism in SA

(35:42) Marius Roodt on strengthening democracy in SA

(39:19) Conclusion

RESOURCES

Institute of Race Relations Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs regarding the Electoral Amendment Bill (B1-2022): https://irr.org.za/reports/submissions-on-proposed-legislation/submission-to-the-portfolio-committee-on-home-affairs-regarding-the-electoral-amendment-bill-b1-2022

Support the work of the IRR: https://irr.org.za/join