David Campbell Francis – The Conversation

Traders sell their goods in a busy market area in central Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

March 30, 2026

Economic policy in South Africa neglects informal traders: 5 focus areas to support the sector

David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand and Siphelele Ngidi, University of the Witwatersrand

Traders in the informal economy need a supportive ecosystem so they can move beyond survival and contribute to local growth and development.

Does the budget tabled by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni (right) speak to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s (left) vision of the new economy? Getty Images

June 25, 2020

South Africa’s budget to deal with COVID‑19 fails to pave way for more equal society

David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand and Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand

The budget is one of the key tools that government has to effect meaningful change.

Unlike other countries, South Africa’s informal sector provides no cushion to workers in time of crisis. Shutterstock

June 20, 2020

South Africa needs to focus urgently on how COVID‑19 will reshape its labour market

David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand; Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand, and Kamal Ramburuth-Hurt, University of the Witwatersrand

It will take a long time for the full economic impact of COVID-19 to be known, but a careful scrutiny of labour market outcomes over the next couple of months will shed some light.

South Africans practise social distancing while they queue outside a supermarket in Hillbrow, Johannesburg during the country’s lockdown. Photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

April 18, 2020

South Africa needs a post‑lockdown strategy that emulates South Korea

Alex van den Heever, University of the Witwatersrand; David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand; Francois Venter, University of the Witwatersrand; Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand; Lucy Allais, University of the Witwatersrand; Martin Veller, University of the Witwatersrand; Michael Sachs, University of the Witwatersrand, and Shabir A. Madhi, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa cannot afford to embark on a strategy of extended periodic lockdowns. It needs to shift to mass testing and contact tracing.

An elderly man at a social grant paypoint in South Africa after the COVID-19 lockdown. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP) () Photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

April 10, 2020

South Africa needs to end the lockdown: here’s a blueprint for its replacement

Shabir A. Madhi, University of the Witwatersrand; Alex van den Heever, University of the Witwatersrand; David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand; Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand; Martin Veller, University of the Witwatersrand, and Michael Sachs, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa must develop a comprehensive health and economic strategy if it is to stop the COVID-19 pandemic without causing long term socio-economic damage.

Children play in the Blikkiesdorp township in Cape Town. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

April 5, 2020

South Africa needs to mitigate the worst of its inequalities in tackling coronavirus

Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand and David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa won’t flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve unless all citizens have the means to stay at home. But for many, it’s either they stay at home and starving, or go out to make a living.

EPA/Nic Bothma

September 7, 2018

To zero‑rate, or not to zero‑rate: why the VAT debate is more complex than it appears

Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand and David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africans debating the zero rating of certain products for VAT purposes must realise it isn’t a panacea for poor people and should be accompanied by other policies.

Shutterstock

December 11, 2017

South Africa needs a fresh approach to its stubbornly high levels of inequality

Edward Webster, University of the Witwatersrand; David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand, and Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand

Extensive research has been done on poverty and inequality in South Africa but more is needed to better understand the status quo and mainly inter-sectional factors that drive inequality.

Job seekers wait for employers searching for casual labour on the streets of Cape Town. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

November 28, 2016

How the search for a national minimum wage laid bare South Africa’s faultlines

Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand and David Campbell Francis, University of the Witwatersrand

South Africa’s proposed national minimum wage must not be seen as a solution for all the country’s economic problems but as a floor to protect the most vulnerable workers.

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