Author:sharmini-naidoo

Piercing the SOE veil December 2, 2025 South Africans have paid billions to rescue failing State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) crippled by corruption, mismanagement and zero accountability – while executives walk away enriched and taxpayers are left bleeding. SHARMINI NAIDOO says that this needs to stop. Over the past 15 years, South Africans have paid R521 billion to bail out corrupt and mismanaged SOEs, according to Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana. In reality, the figure may be closer to R670 billion or […]

The power of a lie November 10, 2025 A single lie can unravel lives, relationships and even nations. As SHARMINI NAIDOO notes, lies that are repeated and reinforced corrode trust, distort reality and erode the moral foundations of society. Did you know that if you tell a lie often enough, people will start to believe it? This is, in fact, a technique used by politicians to manipulate facts and shape public perception, called the “Big Lie”. Lies, untruths, mistruths, half-truths […]

SA money woes, priorities and values… October 6, 2025 South Africa is drowning in debt while spending billions on global summits and costly commissions. SHARMINI NAIDOOsays this raises urgent questions about priorities, values, and whether governance failures undermine the nation’s fragile economic future. South Africa’s debt levels remain high and continue to increase, and we’re spending around R1.2 billion per day on debt service (interest). There are no signs of this abating. It is therefore unsurprising to hear that our […]

A hope for better days September 8, 2025 Spring brings renewal, but South Africa faces headwinds. From US tariffs shaking exports to political scandals and pay reform, uncertainty looms. Can these challenges spark change, or will they deepen the crisis? SHARMINI NAIDOO is hoping for better days ahead… September is here already, and spring is in the air. Typically known as a season of regrowth and renewal, Spring marks nature’s awakening from winter’s dormancy to vibrant life. It symbolises new […]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times August 6, 2025 Amid rising political turmoil and deepening corruption scandals, South Africa faces a reckoning. SHARMINI NAIDOO unpacks shocking developments in government and transport to reveal a system under strain and truth on the brink. If the 2025 astrological predictions are to be believed, then this year’s planetary movements – transit of Saturn into Pisces (the karmic disciplinarian that governs hidden matters), Pluto moving into the 11th […]

The merits of a national dialogue July 2, 2025 Can a national dialogue unite South Africans, or is it just more costly shoptalk? As R700 million is earmarked, SHARMINI NAIDOO says the country is bracing for a bold – and controversial – experiment. At this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ramaphosa introduced the concept of a national dialogue in which all South Africans were called upon to “chart a new path for our country”. “I call on […]

VAT vs the fuel levy trade-off June 22, 2025 On 21 May, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presented his SA Budget “version 3.0” in parliament. SHARMINI NAIDOO reports that, with the VAT increase off the table, the minister needed to find another way to plug the gaping hole. Godongwana made it very clear that this was not an austerity budget, but a redistributive one. He indicated that the budget was a reflection of the difficult trade-offs needed to balance fiscal sustainability […]

The VAT debacle as it unfolded May 20, 2025 The proposed VAT hike sparked political fallout, court battles, and public confusion. SHARMINI NAIDOO unpacks the drama behind South Africa’s tax policy U-turn. In 1936, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was quoted as saying that taxes “are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organised society”. The purpose of taxation was, and still is, for governments around the world to collect revenue to provide public goods […]