Agenda
10:00 - 10:15 Opening and Welcome: Chairperson (Rudi Dicks, DPME)
10:15 - 12:00 Presentation and discussion of research findings
- Motivation and Constraints of Corporate Firms in South Africa, Neva Makgetla (TIPS)
- Ownership, Control and Investment in South Africa, Thando Vilakazi and Simon Roberts (CCRED)
- Economic Transformation in the Top 100 JSE listed firms, Duma Gqubule (CEDT)
12:00 - 13:00 Panel discussion with presenters, facilitated by Rudi Dicks
13:00: Lunch
Background
At the birth of its democracy South Africa inherited a highly concentrated economy, dominated by a few large companies. Democracy brought with it the promise of change in the structure of the economy. To what extent have there been real shifts in ownership over the past 20 years? And how do these shifts affect the economy and the broader society? Critical questions relate to the extent of concentrated ownership and the implications for income and asset equality, industrialization, the cost structure of the economy and job creation.
The Development Dialogue will share research undertaken on this important issue and consider different aspects of the corporate landscape and its impact on the economy.
Presenters
Neva Makgetla is a senior economist 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.
Thando Vilakazi is a senior researcher at the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED). Thando works in the competition field and has worked in the Policy and Research Division at the Competition Commission of South Africa.
Simon Roberts is the director of CCRED and is a professor at the University of Johannesburg, in the Economics and Econometrics Department. He has worked extensively in competition matters and previously held the position of chief economist at the Competition Commission.
Duma Gqubule is the director of the Centre for Economic Development and Transformation (CEDT). Duma has spent the past two decades as a financial journalist, analyst, advisor and consultant on issues of economic development and transformation.