Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba says the government is considering declaring coal a strategic resource.
A report has shown that some of the basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution are still contested in communities across South Africa.
A bumper maize crop this year could see food prices fall, offering welcome relief to consumers facing rising interest rates and fuel costs. With this large crop South Africans can expect to see the maize price move closer to export parity prices, which should offer consumers some relief.
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/ 25 January 2008
South Africa has plenty of energy available. The problem is, we don’t have enough power. Some of the country’s biggest businesses have been queuing up to sell power to Eskom. The potential power on the table — all 5 000MW of it — is almost equivalent to two Koeberg-sized nuclear power stations.
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/ 11 January 2008
Gold prices soared to new records trecently, on the back of oil’s surge, helped by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The oil price hit $100 a barrel in trading last week, having increased 57% last year, according to Fortune magazine. This puts oil within reach of its all-time inflation-adjusted high of $102 a barrel.
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/ 22 October 2007
Zimbabwe has effectively outsourced its economy to South Africa, sending workers south of the Limpopo to mop up skilled jobs and receiving $500-million a year in return. Estimates vary, but it is thought Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa number between 800 000 and three million.
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/ 22 October 2007
As new opposition accusations of violence emerged this week to threaten Thabo Mbeki’s mediation efforts in Zimbabwe, neither the ruling party nor the political opposition appeared keen on Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade’s latest bid for involvement in the talks. Wade said earlier this month that he plans to visit Zimbabwe within weeks to “talk with him [President Robert Mugabe] to see what Africa can do”.
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/ 19 October 2007
International oil prices galloping towards a barrel could force another petrol price increase next month and South Africans may also need to brace themselves for a further hike in interest rates, just in time for Christmas. A strengthening rand may, however, be just the white knight consumers need.
PPS Insurance found itself in a tight spot this week after its chief financial officer, Callie Masson, claimed that between R20-million and R25-million was missing from the company’s financials, a charge PPS denies. Masson has now stepped down, saying that there was "a breakdown in trust" between himself and the chairman, according to the resignation letter he submitted to the board.
We are concerned that you, the mother of empowerment, should be embroiled in such an ugly scandal. Unfortunately, we can’t say that we’re surprised that you and Absa have decided to terminate your services as a director. For the last few weeks, this parting has seemed inevitable.