I've neglected this blog for a while, though I have been posting quick notes and links to SA news on my Twitter feed.
In case you're catching up, here is some recent news that is noteworthy or provides insight to this region:
-Scary Economist article about attitudes toward democratic accountability in SA
-Another scary set of stats on public private workers in SA. 1 in 8 workers is employed by the government, at an average salary 44% above that of the private sector. (The latter may be skewed if, as I suspect, government employees on average more-skilled labor.)
-A good article in the NYT about the proper role of plastic. If you see plastic trash in rural Africa, it is appalling.
-An article on education unions in SA. In a conversation the other day with a black SA colleague, she talked about the ridiculous cycle of strikes in education. Teachers go on strike, then when they come back students will go on strike to protest the teachers striking.
-Doctors in Nigeria went on strike, reminiscent of the violent and shocking nursing strike in SA last September or so.
-The ANC government is pretty vocal about supporting unions and working for laborers, except apparently when it gets a donation at the expense of those same workers. The response of the donor (President Zuma's nephew) is pretty brazen in his disdain for the claims of the workers.
-In another example of what is euphemistically called "industrial action" here, workers at parastatal power company Eskom want a 16% hike. Remember that inflation is ~6-7% here, and last year they got a 9% increase plus a housing stipend.
In case you're catching up, here is some recent news that is noteworthy or provides insight to this region:
-Scary Economist article about attitudes toward democratic accountability in SA
-Another scary set of stats on public private workers in SA. 1 in 8 workers is employed by the government, at an average salary 44% above that of the private sector. (The latter may be skewed if, as I suspect, government employees on average more-skilled labor.)
-A good article in the NYT about the proper role of plastic. If you see plastic trash in rural Africa, it is appalling.
-An article on education unions in SA. In a conversation the other day with a black SA colleague, she talked about the ridiculous cycle of strikes in education. Teachers go on strike, then when they come back students will go on strike to protest the teachers striking.
-Doctors in Nigeria went on strike, reminiscent of the violent and shocking nursing strike in SA last September or so.
-The ANC government is pretty vocal about supporting unions and working for laborers, except apparently when it gets a donation at the expense of those same workers. The response of the donor (President Zuma's nephew) is pretty brazen in his disdain for the claims of the workers.
-In another example of what is euphemistically called "industrial action" here, workers at parastatal power company Eskom want a 16% hike. Remember that inflation is ~6-7% here, and last year they got a 9% increase plus a housing stipend.
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