Janet Wilhelm
Wood and paper 2017
Wood and paper refers to the processing of wood, including milling and pulping as well as production of final products such as plywood, furniture and paper. Printing and publishing are dealt with separately because they differ substantially from the wood and paper sections of the value chain.
Download a copy or read online
Other subsector notes:
Basic chemicals and petroleum refineries
Beverages
Capital equipment
Clothing, footwear, leather and textiles
Electronics and appliances
Food processing
Furniture and manufacturing activities not elsewhere classified
Glass and non-metalic minerals
Metal and metal products
Other chemicals, rubber and plastics
Printing and publishing
Transport equipment
The Real Economy Bulletin - Fourth Quarter 2017
Main Bulletin: The Real Economy Bulletin - Fourth Quarter 2017
GDP growth: South Africa’s GDP grew by 0,8% in the fourth quarter of 2017, representing a 1,9% increase from the fourth quarter of 2016. Compared to the previous two years, it signalled three quarters of relatively strong growth. Read more.
Employment: Employment in the real economy was lower in the fourth quarter of 2017 than a year earlier. The job losses occurred in agriculture and construction; manufacturing saw a modest increase in employment; and mining employment remained essentially unchanged. Most of the growth in manufacturing resulted from job creation in food processing and beverages. Read more.
International trade: In 2017, export growth outpaced imports, largely due to a jump in exports of manganese and chrome. As a result, for the past three quarters South Africa has seen a surplus on the balance of trade. In manufacturing, the fastest growth from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017 occurred in clothing, metals and machinery. Read more.
Investment and profitability: Investment increased in 2017 after declining in 2016. The increase resulted primarily from a modest expansion in private investment, while public investment continued to fall. Read more.
Foreign direct investment projects: The TIPS Foreign Direct Investment Monitor tracks FDI projects, analysing new and updated projects on a quarterly basis. Read more.
Briefing note: What happened to the recession? Revisions in the latest GDP data effectively wiped out a technical recession initially reported for the fourth quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. So what happened to the recession that was initially announced, and what do these revisions mean for our understanding of the GDP data? Read the briefing note online: What happened to the recession?
Briefing note: Bitcoin - Disruptive technology or Ponzi scheme? You can’t miss the Bitcoin hype, at least if you read the financial pages. It comes up regularly in articles, on twitter, at social events and even in conversations over coffee. In some countries institutions are investing in it, while others have banned it. That said, estimates suggest that worldwide, only between three and six million people actually own any of it. Read the briefing note online: Bitcoin - Disruptive technology or Ponzi scheme?
Briefing note: TIPS reviews of manufacturing sub-sectors: TIPS has completed a series of briefing notes on the main manufacturing sub-sectors. These provide information on the contribution to the GDP, employment, profitability and assets, the market structure and dominant producers, major inputs and international trade. Read the briefing note online: Reviews of manufacturing sub-sectors.
There are practical ways to slow the onset of hubris
Business Day - 27 February 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
State-owned enterprises live in a world of their own
Business Day - 13 February 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Or read here as a PDF
How SA's strong budget process also blocks innovation
Business Day - 30 January 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Or read here as a PDF
RESPONSE TO COLUMN
Letter in Business Day - 1 February 2018: Treasury must be prudent
How SA's strong budget process also blocks innovation
Business Day - 30 January 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Or read here as a PDF
RESPONSE TO COLUMN
Letter in Business Day - 1 February 2018: Treasury must be prudent
There is a need to assess the status of plantation forestry and what can be improved to facilitate the sustainable use of land and water resources in South Africa, and spread the benefit of efficiency gains in the value chain. There is also a need to assess the barriers that can be overcome to achieve the aim of sustainably managed plantation forests and furnish new opportunities for expansions in coverage, especially in historically underdeveloped areas to create new economic opportunities for economically marginalised communities.
Vacancy: Internship
TIPS is offering an intern position for six months starting in August 2019. This is open to recently or about to graduate Master's students. Closing date for applications is 7 June 2019. For more about the position and how to apply see Intern Position.
Development Dialogue: Electricity beyond the grid
TIPS and the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) hosted a Development Dialogue on Electricy Beyond the Grid on February 22. For more information and copies of the presentations go to Development Dialogue. Presenters: Gaylor Montmasson-Clair and Bhavna Deonarain (TIPS); Louise Scholtz (WWF-SA);Tasneem Essop (representing EDI); Julie Wells and Ndivhuho Raphulu (NCPC-SA)Julie Wells
Electricity beyond the national grid (TIPS and GEC)
Development Dialogue: Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and Green Economy Coalition (GEC)
Agenda
9:30 - 9:45: Opening and Welcome
9:45 - 12:00: Presentation and discussion of research findings
Regional integration in Southern Africa - A platform for electricity sustainability: Gaylor Montmasson-Clair and Bhavna Deonarain (TIPS)
South African municipalities and renewable energy - New roles and opportunities: Louise Scholtz (WWF-SA)
Tea
Energy empowerment - A community-based approach to the ownership and delivery of renewable energy: Tasneem Essop (representing EDI)
From user to prosumer - Energy interventions at the firm level: Julie Wells and Ndivhuho Raphulu (NCPC-SA)
12:00 - 13:00 Panel discussion with presenters, facilitated by Minnesh Bipath (SANEDI)
13:00: Lunch
Background
South Africa's electricity sector is in the midst of a multifaceted transformation. Renewable energy technologies are aggressively entering the market at both the utility- and small-scale levels. Private sector players and prosumers are equally reshuffling the cards of electricity generation. The national grid is oscillating between supply problems and overcapacity while South Africa's neighbours are targeting self-reliance. With the ongoing problems experienced by Eskom, the country's vertically-integrated national power utility, would the solutions to South Africa's electricity issues lie elsewhere? Would deeper regional integration represent a sustainable solution to South Africa's woes? Should municipalities rather play a larger role in South Africa's electricity sector? How should users, be it households and firms, position themselves? The Development Dialogue will share research undertaken on some of these issues and consider the linkages between these different levels of interventions as well as their impacts on the national electricity sector.
See Research
Regional integration in Southern Africa: A platform for electricity sustainability
New roles for South African municipalities in renewable energy - A review of business models