The Southern African Development Community (SADC) experiences high levels of cross border human traffic due to trade, cultural and language links across the fifteen countries. Technological advances and increased domestic competition have contributed to lower domestic retail tariffs for mobile cellular services. Unfortunately, this has not extended to international mobile roaming (IMR) retail tariffs which remain unacceptably high. These high tariffs have attracted harsh criticism from commentators and prompted calls for regulatory intervention. This study investigates the level of international mobile roaming (IMR) retail tariffs, usage and demand elasticity. It further considers whether competition or regulation play a greater role in reducing these tariffs and whether regulatory intervention is likely to reduce competition. The research took the form of a quantitative study and used an online survey questionnaire as the data collection tool. The results of the study confirmed that international mobile roaming (IMR) retail tariffs are indeed high, resulting in poor uptake by cost conscious travellers who pay for their own cellular usage. The finding that competition plays a greater role than regulation in reducing IMR retail tariffs is not significant. It was concluded that neither competition nor regulation are sufficient on their own to provide increased social welfare. The best result is obtained when competition is allowed to flourish, underpinned by an enabling regulatory framework. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / The adoption of the Southern African Development Community’s Protocol on Trade in 2000 by member states which was aimed at creating an effective free intra-trade environment, had failed to reduce trade barriers which are threatening to reverse the gains made from tariff liberalization.. The protectionism in the form of non-tariff barriers constitutes the biggest factor affecting intra-trade in the region. The new economic environment which was expected to emerge with the adoption of the Trade Protocol over a decade ago has not taken place. Some of the commitments by member states to harmonise customs procedures, co-operation in customs matters and trade facilitation are yet to be achieved as the Protocol on Trade lacks the much needed legal force as some of its articles allow room for member states to derogate from their commitments. The main objective of this research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Protocol on Trade in the elimination of non-tariff barriers within the Southern African Development Community Free Trade Area. In order to achieve this, the study analysed the trend of non-tariff barriers reported in the period 2008 to 2013, the cost of trading across member states borders and the trend of intra-regional trade from 1996 to 2013. The main research findings indicated that non-tariff barriers are on the increase with cumbersome customs procedures and poor infrastructure development proving to be more prevalent in the region. The Protocol failed to reduce the cost of trading across member states’ borders since it came into force in 2000 with the cost of importing and exporting on the increase and the trade documentation remaining high. Again, the level of intra-regional trade as a percentage decreased from 2000 to 2013 – an indication that the Protocol on Trade failed to facilitate trade in the region through the elimination of non-tariff barriers. However, considerable potential for intra-regional trade remains unexploited due to induced trade barriers which are hampering the development of much needed regional value chains.

The study investigated the impact of regional financial integration on financial development with specific focus on the SADC protocols on trade and finance and investment. A total of 14 countries made up the study sample and the panel cointegration fully modified ordinary least squares model alongside the GMM were used to estimate the nature of impact. Study findings showed regional integration through the protocol on trade had a positive and significant impact on size and efficiency of the banking sector using the FMOLS estimator. GMM estimations for the same variables were largely insignificant. The results also showed a positive impact of the trade protocol on stock market capitalization but a negative and insignificant impact on stock turnover. The finance and investment protocol had a negative and insignificant relationship with broad money and a positive and significant impact on private sector credit for both estimators. The protocol was found to have had no significant effect on stock market development. The impact of the finance protocol was not significant enough to be detected in global integration measures, implying their implementation may not have significantly improved global integration for SADC countries. The study also uncovered the complimentary relationship between institutional quality and social capital in the financial development process and recommended the development of outward looking integration policies which focus on regional integration with the outside world. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

The design of a country’s tax system is important because of the critical role played by taxation in financing public spending towards economic and social development. In this regard, there is need to enhance the understanding of whether current tax systems in the SADC provide sufficient tax revenue to meet public spending needs. This study provides empirical evidence on the outcomes of existing tax systems in the SADC with the aim of offering a basis for normative evaluation of the regions’ tax policies. Literature posits that there are numerous economic and institutional factors that limit the amount of taxes that a country can actually raise. Against this background, the substantive aim of this study was to assess the determinants of tax capacity and tax effort in the SADC in view of providing a pragmatic approach to tax policy design. The methodology of this study involved the use of both quantitative and qualitative analysis (mixed methods approach) where the latter was used to augment the findings of the former. The first phase involved the use of a multi-step procedure to estimate determinants of tax capacity and tax effort using stochastic tax function and unbalanced panel data for 13 SADC countries. The study disentangled the error term to estimates the random-effects separately from tax effort in order to capture the time- invariant country-specific effects. Further, tax effort was classified persistent (long-run) and transient (short-run). The study was able to estimate the determinants of tax effort and to rank each member state according to its tax effort. The second phase involves a narrative analysis of tax legislation in the SADC over the period 2002-2016. The study used budget statements and Acts of parliament as the major sources of information to identify significant changes in tax legislation over this period. The findings of the quantitative analysis indicate that financial deepening, economic development and trade openness influence tax capacity, while corruption and inflation influence tax effort. In addition, the findings show that the region has low persistent tax effort than transient tax effort, implying that improving tax administration has superseded tax policy reforms. This result is augmented by the narrative record which seemingly shows that tax legislation efforts were largely successful in tax administration but rather limited in view of tax policy. In this regard, the study recommends that tax policy design should be informed by the conditions of a country and policy considerations relating to peculiar circumstances to obtain robust tax policies. / Economics / D. Com. (Economics)

Text in English / The study aims to investigate criminal jurisdiction of the visiting SADC armed forces during peace time focusing only on the Republic of Botswana and the Republic of South Africa. Since the adoption of the Declaration and Treaty of SADC, the armed forces of both Botswana and South Africa at times find themselves on each other’s territory. Once in each other’s territory the question of criminal jurisdiction becomes imperative. The two countries seem not to agree on the content of status of force agreements while cooperating in terms of the SADC Treaty. The contentious point is that the death sentence is still a competent sentence for certain offences under certain circumstances in terms of Botswana laws, whereas in South Africa the death sentence was declared unconstitutional. In the absence of any agreement, South African armed forces may face a death sentence while in Botswana and Botswana authorities might not be able to carry out a death sentence over their members for offences committed while in South Africa. In trying to answer the question of criminal jurisdiction while on each other’s territory during peace time, a study of the evolution of jurisdiction is undertaken. The laws of both countries are considered, especially the application and protection afforded by their respective constitutions. The approach followed by the UN in sending a peace-keeping force to conflict areas is analysed. A micro-comparison of agreements concluded by selected countries, more especially the NATO agreement, is undertaken. Treaties as a source of international law are analysed to show that rights can be extended and be limited by agreement. The study concludes by recommending that concurrent criminal jurisdiction with certain qualification seems to be the accepted norm and compromise amongst the international community, and that the two countries may consider this approach as the basis for such agreement. / Public, Constitutional, & International Law / LL.M

Text in English / The study aims to investigate criminal jurisdiction of the visiting SADC armed forces during peace time focusing only on the Republic of Botswana and the Republic of South Africa. Since the adoption of the Declaration and Treaty of SADC, the armed forces of both Botswana and South Africa at times find themselves on each other’s territory. Once in each other’s territory the question of criminal jurisdiction becomes imperative. The two countries seem not to agree on the content of status of force agreements while cooperating in terms of the SADC Treaty. The contentious point is that the death sentence is still a competent sentence for certain offences under certain circumstances in terms of Botswana laws, whereas in South Africa the death sentence was declared unconstitutional. In the absence of any agreement, South African armed forces may face a death sentence while in Botswana and Botswana authorities might not be able to carry out a death sentence over their members for offences committed while in South Africa. In trying to answer the question of criminal jurisdiction while on each other’s territory during peace time, a study of the evolution of jurisdiction is undertaken. The laws of both countries are considered, especially the application and protection afforded by their respective constitutions. The approach followed by the UN in sending a peace-keeping force to conflict areas is analysed. A micro-comparison of agreements concluded by selected countries, more especially the NATO agreement, is undertaken. Treaties as a source of international law are analysed to show that rights can be extended and be limited by agreement. The study concludes by recommending that concurrent criminal jurisdiction with certain qualification seems to be the accepted norm and compromise amongst the international community, and that the two countries may consider this approach as the basis for such agreement. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LL.M