Public Procurement and Industrial Development in South Africa

  • Date: Tuesday, 04 April 2017
  • Time: 13h30-16h00
  • Venue: TIPS Boardroom, 234 Lange St, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria
  • Main Speakers: Rod Crompton, Judith Fessehaie, Simon Roberts (CCRED), Neva Makgetla, Asanda Fotoyi (TIPS)
  • For enquiries or to register please contact: rozale@tips.org.za

Presentation and Panel Discussion

Rod Crompton and Judith Fessehaie (CCRED)
Simon Roberts (CCRED)
Neva Makgetla and Asanda Fotoyi

Discussant: Edwin Ritchkin

Background 

The presentation by Rod Crompton will discuss the impact of public procurement policy on Transnet's procurement of 1064 railway locomotives as an instrument to develop local rail rolling stock manufacturing capacity in South Africa. The research forms part of a broader research programme under the Industrial Development Research Programme (IDRP) of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Neva Makgetla and Asanda Fotoyi will present findings on the factors that tend to exclude small business from government procurement.

Presenters 

Rod Crompton: Dr Rod Crompton is an independent consultant specialising in industrial policy, energy and economic regulation and a part-time research associate at TIPS. He has a PhD in industrial policy from the University of Natal. He was previously a full-time board member of the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) for 11 years and was senior manager at the Department of Minerals and Energy responsible for energy, hydrocarbons and energy planning for nine years. He has also worked at the Department of Trade and Industry and was managing director of the Minerals and Energy Policy Centre.

Simon Roberts: Professor Simon Roberts is the Director of the Centre of Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED). He is a professor at the University of Johannesburg, in the Economics and Econometrics Department. He held the position of Chief Economist and Manager of the Policy & Research Division at the Competition Commission from November 2006 to December 2012. Prior to joining the Competition Commission he was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he established and directed the Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development research programme examining firm decision-making and economic outcomes.

Neva Makgetla and Asanda Fotoyi are economists at TIPS. Makgetla has published widely on the South African economy and worked for many years in government, most recently as Deputy Director General for Policy in the Economics Development Department, as well as in COSATU. Asanda Fotoyi worked at Statistics South Africa before joining TIPS in 2016.