05 October 2026Good Morning
Below follows today’s briefing from The Common Sense.
Today's Briefing
Top 5 Stories
Editorials
South Africa’s Enclave Scenario Holds but Downside Risk Rises
In July, The Common Sense published a detailed scenario analysis mapping South Africa’s possible routes to 2034 — a quarter has passed since that analysis was published and, in the report that follows below, The Common Sense team takes stock of events to update the probabilities assigned to each scenario.
Politics
Three Strikes and You’re Out as Far as We Were Concerned, US Tells SA
In a firmly worded interview with Fox News, the American Ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell III, has said that South Africa has tested America’s patience one time too many and that this is costing South Africa billions in lost investment.
Economics & Policy
This is Why the Diesel Price is So High
On Wednesday, South Africa’s diesel price will lift to near R32 a litre because roughly a third of global export supply has been compromised by the intersection of two wars and the geo-strategic wrangling around those.
Columns
Broken by Design? How Johannesburg Turned Service Failure into a Growth Industry
How Johannesburg was broken.
Columns
Johannesburg at 140: What Next for the City of Gold?
Johannesburg has always been full of people with can-do attitudes - will that help save the city?
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Podcast & Video of the Day
Mbeki’s Counter-Revolution Theory, Myburgh in Washington, and the 10 Million SA Left in Poverty
In the latest episode of Talking Sense the panel discusses Thabo Mbeki’s explanation for the ANC’s decline, farm attacks, and FMD vaccines.
The Common Sense's Latest Scenarios: Reform Now Less Likely
In this subscribers-only video Frans Cronje discusses the latest scenarios from The Common Sense and…
