Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

We are told repeatedly that small business must grow if the economy is to grow. Why, then, do those who decide what we should think hurl endless abuse at 'illegal miners' but never ask why the law here makes it impossible for individuals or small businesses to mine legally? This prejudice has now cost scores of lives in Stilfontein and continues to hold back the country's progress.  

This is the argument of my weekly Against the Tide column sent out to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, please visit the Against the Tide website. To discuss a free or reduced subscription, contact info@againstthetide.co.za.

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.