Tumi Makgetla
Guest Author
No image available
/ 8 December 2006

Ja well, no cows

In a twist on the sexual harassment allegations against ANC chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe, the family of the woman who laid the complaint is fighting shy of the proposed ”traditional solution”. A parliamentary staff member accused Goniwe of sexual harassment last month, prompting an ANC disciplinary committee to investigate the matter while Goniwe takes an extended leave of absence.

No image available
/ 27 November 2006

Tito could show a little wiggle

A growing cacophony of economists — including those commissioned by government — are saying that Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni has significant wiggle room to maintain the rand at competitive levels, which will boost export and manufacturing growth. The critical chorus says a more competitive currency can be achieved through market-friendly interventions.

No image available
/ 24 November 2006

Madisha lives to fight again

Willie Madisha, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, survived another round of debate about divisions within the federation during a tense, two-day central executive committee meeting recently where ”gloves were off and blood was on the floor”, in the words of general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.

No image available
/ 20 November 2006

Capacity Nepad’s next goal

Development projects that never get off the ground and well-meaning agreements that come to nothing are symptoms of inadequate capacity in African countries, which the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) plans to tackle. Since the 1950s, international and continental institutions have concerned themselves with building capacity in Africa, but critics say their models have failed to strengthen capacity in the long term.

No image available
/ 17 November 2006

Jewish Report censors Kasrils

The South African Jewish Report last week refused to publish Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils’s right to reply to an article that questioned his stance on Israel. This makes it the second time in recent weeks that Kasrils has been barred from expressing his radical anti-Zionist views.

No image available
/ 17 November 2006

Manyatshe hangs up on MTN

Maanda Manyatshe resigned from cellphone company MTN recently in a move intended to distance MTN from damaging allegations against the former MD. The allegations, which were first published in the <i>Mail & Guardian</i>, relate to Manyatshe’s days as Post Office CEO, when he is said to have improperly pushed through a contract to revamp post office branches worth R100-million.

No image available
/ 9 November 2006

Skilled foreigners tied up in red tape

A number of South African firms refuse to employ skilled foreigners because of nightmarish immigration bureaucracy, say recruiting agents and immigration experts. This despite an immigration law that the department of home affairs amended last week to help firms combat the domestic skills shortage by employing skilled foreigners.