The Best South African Stuff I Read This Week — 10/01/16

Here is the best South African think-pieces, commentary and generally good content I read this week:

• South Africa should not be afraid to take on a more interventionist industrial policy. ANC spokesperson Yonela Diko echoes the arguments and historical examples presented by Ha-Joon Chang — here he is debating former World Bank economist Justin Lin on the topic.
• Corruption may reduce the trade boosting effect of lowering regional tariffs. Johan Fourie presents the findings of a recent study of tariff adjustment and bribery at the South African-Mozambique border, and urges policymakers to also consider the `invisible’ barriers to trade.
• A new meningitis screening test could help cut South Africa’s AIDS Deathtoll. On The Conversation, Candice Bailey interviews Nelesh Govender, whose team developed the new screening programme.
• Castro’s legacy in the horn of Africa. The South African wrote a brief history of Cuba’s intervention in the 1977 Ethiopia-Somali conflict.
• Following Herman Mashaba’s callous comments about occupants of JHB’s abandoned buildings, the Socio-Economics Rights Institute present their docu-series Fighting For a Living in strong rebuttal. Episodes The Road Home and Streets at Stake are the most relevant as counters to Mashaba, but the whole series — free to watch online — is worth viewing.