Ben Cronin

I recently wrote an article asking the question: Can National Treasury Dictate Future Spending? Unpacking the Constitutional Court’s View | Constitutional Court Review journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.298…

There is a slightly dark but humorous malapropism in the definition of agreement in the National Credit Act (as recorded by Sabinet). Instead of an arrangement between two 'parties', it refers to an arrangement between two 'panics' Clearly, the interest rate is too high..

The spectre of Gaza is going to haunt all of us because we have failed them.

Far too much of the internal energy of the ANC is consumed by managing internal factionalism with deployments. Far too little time is being spent on self introspection about poor policy choices.

As always, the PMG team does an amazing and important job of creating space for everyone to understand and hopefully engage with Parliament. The budget process opened up just a little bit more this year, but there is a lot of room still for democratizing the budget process.

How can a political party name itself after MK and then actively support the colonial occupation of the Sahrawi Republic? This is a fatal contradiction. Imagine if someone like Samora Machel had supported Bantustans as a 'solution' to the anti-Apartheid struggle.

The appointment of Buti Manamela is a great decision.

This is such an incredible betrayal.

It is hard not to get the impression that the current ANC leadership are unbothered by electoral decline and, perhaps worse, quite committed to losing elections going forward.

The SANDF is right to challenge the power assumed by Treasury to de facto determine the capacity of other departments to meet their obligations and mandate. Parliament actually should determine spending, and must start doing its job. news24.com/politics/natio…

The next ANC elective conference must critically demonstrate efforts to rebuild internal democracy in the organisation and ultimately a commitment to implement policy resolutions. The current leadership is a mess, and its authority is dissipating as the GNU unravels.

Agreed, the appointment of Prof Cachalia is an excellent decision.

Rassie was born to be a tax lawyer.

This year’s Public Interest Law Gathering #PILG2025 takes place in October under the theme “Unfinished Freedom: Interrogating the leaps between legal promises and lived realities” The call for proposals is open! Submit to [email protected] by 31 July 2025

Absolutely critical point - budgeting at its heart should follow the principle that funding and mandates must be commensurate.