SITTING ON A GOLD MINE
By Sibonelo Radebe
The department of public works' new property management strategy has shed some light on the spread and weight of the state-owned property portfolio - information that has eluded the market for some time. Seven years ago, the depar...
PROTESTS PROVIDE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Cosatu says government should intervene to prevent further food price increases. How? The immediate thing to do is amend the Competition Act so that the competition commission can also charge directors and CEOs of companies who are f...
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
By Jacqui Pile
Why is the International Monetary Fund (IMF) selling its gold? The IMF is the world's third-largest holder of official sector gold, with 3,217 Mt, worth about US$95,7bn. With gold at record prices, the organisation is considering selling ...
BANG BANG SHABANGU
By Carol Paton
Susan Shabangu has been in the background for the past 10 years as a deputy minister until recently when she made the controversial "kill the bastards" comment. Shabangu has been the deputy minister of safety & security since 1996, hav...
WINNERS & LOSERS
WINNER Jeffrey Hedberg The American CEO of mobile phone operator Cell C has finally pulled the company out of the red. Cell C has posted an operating profit for the first time since its launch seven years ago. ...
MOLOTSANE'S COMEBACK
By Duncan McLeod
A year after being sacked by Telkom, Papi Molotsane, the former CEO of the fixed-line operator, is set to make a comeback. In his first media interview in more than 12 months, Molotsane revealed to the FM that he plans to take on his old...
NEW TAKE ON ONLINE BUYING
By Duncan McLeod
Online shopping appears to be finally taking root in SA, with the number of e-retailers gradually expanding. In home entertainment - DVDs, video games and music - it's often hard to find what you want in local stores, especially if, like me, you h...
PLUGGING THE GAP
By Duncan McLeod
When high levels of theft and fraud forced US e-retailer Amazon.com to stop shipping high-value items to SA, three young SA Internet geeks spotted an opportunity to build an online business. Brothers Justin and Ryan Drennan and their friend Ter...
COMINGS & GOINGS
Cecile Morenas Lafarge Gypsum's senior regional controller for Asia and Northern Europe has been appointed financial director for Lafarge SA. Morenas will also be responsible for IT and treasury matters. Sarah Mattha...
WHISPERS AROUND TOWN
The latest boardroom antics at Humanity Medical Scheme have left members wondering about the state of affairs at the fund. With the organisation recently coming out of curatorship prompted by mismanagement and financial irregularities, p...
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
By Sven Lünsche
An SA-designed and built skyscraper is blowing a breath of fresh air through the architectural world. The Bahrain World Trade Centre, which opened last year in the capital Manama, has become the first commercial building in the world t...
CHINA IN NUMBERS
By Sven Lünsche
10,6% was China's economic growth in the first quarter of this year, compared with 11,4% for 2007, the fifth consecutive year of a double-digit GDP rise. 9,3% is the IMF's forecast for China's growth this year, widely considered ...
COOKING UP A TEAM
By Kgomotso Mathe
Cooking is taking over as the preferred activity for many corporates hosting team-building exercises. For those employees with aspirations of being the next Jamie Oliver or Nigella, a team-building exercise in a kitchen comple...
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The objective is not to protect the banks but to protect the public from the banks" - MERVYN KING GOVERNOR OF THE UK CENTRAL BANK announcing a £50bn securities offer to UK banks in light of the global credit crunch ...
