The Democratic Alliance (DA) will on Friday lay criminal charges against vitamin salesperson Matthias Rath, the party said on Thursday. Mike Waters, the DA health spokesperson, said Rath had contravened the law by masquerading as a medical doctor.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, proposed a ”Eurafrica” partnership between the continents to tame the harmful effects of globalisation. Sarkozy acknowledged the damaging effects of colonialism but he said it was not responsible for all of the continent’s ills.
Washington is seeking closer ties with Libya now that the Bulgarian medics case is resolved and the first tangible sign is a likely visit this year by top diplomat Condoleezza Rice. There are also other expected plans to boost cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries while increasing business links.
Steven Pienaar’s recent move to English Premiership side Everton has once again highlighted the fact that very few South African players can cut it in Europe’s big leagues. You can count on two hands the number of South African players who have been successful in Europe.
Telkom recently flew 393 clients with spouses, senior executives and management to Mauritius for a strategy session. Although Telkom did not disclose the amount spent, based on the average cost per person of a three-day corporate trip to Mauritius, including flights and activities, it would have cost in the region of R7-million.
We love our jobs. South Africa is going through a complex, often fraught, but ultimately very exciting transition, and we are right in the heart of the hurly-burly. The paper we bring you each Friday is the product of thousands of decisions, some of them very difficult, and a process of gathering, sifting and managing information on a baffling scale.
Recently Zimbabwean business leaders met President Robert Mugabe in an attempt to persuade him to halt a crackdown that is ruining the country’s economy. This is the first meeting between business and Mugabe since he ordered a 50% cut in prices in June, causing a massive shortage of goods and deepening the country’s economic crisis.
Beating the air with her homemade net, Aicha Ali chases a swirling black and turquoise butterfly. Far from indulging in a frivolous pastime, this Kenyan mother is earning crucial family income. "I like capturing butterflies; it’s fun because I make some money," she says, puffing as she wipes the sweat pearling on her nose after a frantic chase in the forest’s sandy trails.
At a National Credit Act conference held recently, National Credit Regulator Gabriel Davel warned credit providers the regulator would undertake a survey of loans that had been rejected and compare them with the credit bureaus’ ratings scores to see if there is a racial undertone in lending Âpractices. Davel says the third-biggest complaint to the regulator in the two months since the Act has been in force has been about the rejection of credit applications.
Although credit life cover plays a very important role in protecting consumers who have taken on debt, not enough has been done to make consumers aware of their rights. Consumers often don’t benefit fully from the protection and peace of mind that credit life products are meant to offer.