A GIS-Based History of Gold Mine Residue Deposits and Risk Assessment of Post-Mining Land-Uses on the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa

The recent entry of the US multinational Walmart into South Africa has proved to be a source of controversy. Key stakeholders in South Africa objected to the merger and attempted to block it unless certain conditions were met. The aim of this study was to examine the controversy and the conditions surrounding the merger. The research employed a qualitative archival analysis to examine publicly available sources of information with regard to the merger. The findings revealed key stakeholdersâ€™ concerns that Walmartâ€™s entry would lead to an increase in imports which would displace local producers, increase unemployment, marginalise trade unions and lower labour standards unless certain conditions were met. The results also revealed problems relating to the firmâ€™s primary focus on â€œbusinessâ€ while neglecting â€œpublic interestâ€ issues, naively relying on their â€œlocal retailerâ€ to manage key stakeholders, and assuming that their perceived controversial reputation regarding treatment of trade unions and their views about unemployment as well as the controversies surrounding their history of entry into other global markets would not have the major negative impact it did on stakeholders in South Africa.

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The Legal Status of Local Government in South Africa under the New Constitutional Dispensation

Southern African Public Law ◽

10.25159/2522-6800/2952 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Mbuzeni Mathenjwa

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Local Government ◽

Legal Status ◽

Case Law ◽

The Status ◽

History Of ◽

The Republic ◽

First Time

The history of local government in South Africa dates back to a time during the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. With regard to the status of local government, the Union of South Africa Act placed local government under the jurisdiction of the provinces. The status of local government was not changed by the formation of the Republic of South Africa in 1961 because local government was placed under the further jurisdiction of the provinces. Local government was enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa arguably for the first time in 1993. Under the interim Constitution local government was rendered autonomous and empowered to regulate its affairs. Local government was further enshrined in the final Constitution of 1996, which commenced on 4 February 1997. The Constitution refers to local government together with the national and provincial governments as spheres of government which are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated. This article discusses the autonomy of local government under the 1996 Constitution. This it does by analysing case law on the evolution of the status of local government. The discussion on the powers and functions of local government explains the scheme by which government powers are allocated, where the 1996 Constitution distributes powers to the different spheres of government. Finally, a conclusion is drawn on the legal status of local government within the new constitutional dispensation.

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BOOK REVIEW: Vigne, Randolph. LIBERALS AGAINST APARTHEID: A HISTORY OF THE LIBERAL PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1953-1968. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press and New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.

Africa Today ◽

10.2979/aft.1999.46.1.145 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 145-147

Author(s):

Wm. Cyrus Reed

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New York ◽

Liberal Party ◽

History Of

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The Foreign Policy Mechanism of the Union Of South Africa and the Development of its Diplomatic Relations (1910–1948)

10.31132/2412-5717-2020-52-3-74-86 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 74-86

Author(s):

Alexandra Arkhangelskaya

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Foreign Policy ◽

British Empire ◽

Prime Minister ◽

The Political ◽

Diplomatic Relations ◽

Economic Evolution ◽

Local Elite ◽

History Of

The history of the formation of South Africa as a single state is closely intertwined with events of international scale, which have accordingly influenced the definition and development of the main characteristics of the foreign policy of the emerging state. The Anglo-Boer wars and a number of other political and economic events led to the creation of the Union of South Africa under the protectorate of the British Empire in 1910. The political and economic evolution of the Union of South Africa has some specific features arising from specific historical conditions. The colonization of South Africa took place primarily due to the relocation of Dutch and English people who were mainly engaged in business activities (trade, mining, agriculture, etc.). Connected by many economic and financial threads with the elite of the countries from which the settlers left, the local elite began to develop production in the region at an accelerated pace. South Africa’s favorable climate and natural resources have made it a hub for foreign and local capital throughout the African continent. The geostrategic position is of particular importance for foreign policy in South Africa, which in many ways predetermined a great interest and was one of the fundamental factors of international involvement in the development of the region. The role of Jan Smuts, who served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948, was particularly prominent in the implementation of the foreign and domestic policy of the Union of South Africa in the focus period of this study. The main purpose of this article is to study the process of forming the mechanisms of the foreign policy of the Union of South Africa and the development of its diplomatic network in the period from 1910 to 1948.

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