How To Fix (Unf*ck) A Country: 6 Things To Reboot South Africa by Roy Havemann is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers!

‘This book will make you smarter. Packed with lively anecdotes and lessons from history, economics, and the world, How to Fix (Unf*ck) a Country explains the hole South Africa is in and how we can climb out.’ – Carol Paton, News24

‘The book offers a pragmatic and innovative approach on how to overcome some of the historical and structural challenges that have held back efforts to set South Africa on a sustainable growth path.’ – Ralph Mathekga, author of When Zuma Goes and The ANC’s Last Decade

‘I loved the approach of the book: keep it simple, stupid, because it’s the economy, stupid. Nothing stupid about it though.’ – Michael Avery anchor of Classic Busines

‘Roy has written a thought-provoking book, making economics accessible and fun as he deploys his six “E”s to find ways out of South Africa’s stagnation.’ – Hilary Joffe, Business Day

After state capture, South Africa is f*cked. Not in a good place. The system is down. How do we reboot?

We are not the first country to find itself in a difficult spot. China, India, South Korea, Vietnam and many others have gone from being economic basket cases to powerhouses, lifting millions out of poverty.

So how can we pick ourselves up and fix things? In this book, Roy Havemann argues that right now we need to focus on six basic ‘E’s:

• Eskom
• Education
• Environment
• Exports
• Ethics, and
• Equality

Havemann lays out how we can practically bring in lessons from other countries and learn from their achievements and mistakes, for example, how China, Greece and Colombia solved loadshedding, how different South American countries are dealing with inequality and how Brazil and Kenya are upgrading their education systems.

He shows that we are slowly moving in the right direction. Our own ‘Operation Vulindlela’ delivery unit, which is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the Treasury, is implementing change where it’s needed but more can be done to accelerate reforms to make South Africa a success.

Sometimes the solutions to our problems are right here in our very own country – all that is needed is for us to recognise and harness them.

About the author

Dr Roy Havemann has consulted to the SA Presidency, the Treasury, the World Bank, Eskom, Transnet, banks and private companies, among others. After lecturing macroeconomics, Havemann joined the National Treasury in 2002 and rose through the ranks to be head of the Western Cape budget office and Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni’s speechwriter.

Foreword by Tito Mboweni

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags How To Fix (Unf*ck) A Country Jonathan Ball Publishers New books New releases Roy Havemann