August 13, 2024

Gary Mockler Group Chief Executive Officer _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Time certainly passes by fast when managing other people’s assets.  It would seem (though we’re nothing by interested and affected bystanders) though that in the realms of politics, time passes by even quicker. The past quarter and the beginning of this next quarter have proven difficult to report on.  Not so much the performance and trending of the markets, but the to-and-fro dynamics of the macro political environment – which of course is a major influencer on the direction and trending of that which is most important – the markets.  Verifying a sustained South African political trend has proven difficult.  It doesn’t seem that you need time and gradual momentum to build an opposition party – ask uMkhonto weSizwe.  It’s also become evident that years of building one can be undone in a... Read More

Zee Gumede Healthcare Consultant   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Constitutional rights and the intention of NHI On 15 May 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the NHI Bill into law.  On 16 May 2024, the NHI Act was gazetted, though no effective dates were stipulated. According to the South African Constitution in Section 27, everyone has the right to healthcare services including reproductive healthcare services, and no one may be refused emergency medical treatment.   The intention of the NHI is to achieve universal health coverage for all South Africans, specifically referencing financial health coverage.  The sixth government administration since 1994 promulgated the NHI, stating that they believed that extending health coverage for all South Africans would improve access to care, quality of care and continuity of care.  They also believed that NHI reforms will contribute to the health system having a co-ordinated and... Read More

Dave Johnson Independent Trustee       _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Initial withdrawal focus: Potential disillusionment? The introduction of the ‘Two-pot’ System has certainly generated much interest, but perhaps some of  the most important  discussion points have been missed? The main focus of discussion and debate has been on the initial seeding capital withdrawal of up to R30 000 per member from 1 September 2024.  The fact that for most people the actual payout will be less than R30 000 due to the tax deducted, administration fees, or the 10% cap may lead to some unhappiness, and there will surely be many disillusioned retirement fund members not meeting their short term financial objectives that they were hoping to accomplish through Two-pot? For many, Two-pot will provide some moderate relief from prevailing financial plight, and of course the proceeds of these premature withdrawals will... Read More