The Congress of South African Trade Unions has welcomed, as a turning point, Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana’s about-face on the security guard strike, in which he lambasted the ”arrogance” of security employers and said their agreement with 14 minority unions was ”not worth the paper it was written on”.

Police investigations into ”environmental thugs” trafficking in endangered wild animals for hunting received a shot in the arm with the unveiling of a proposed government crackdown. In particular, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s tough new draft regulations on hunting coincided with new information on the activities of controversial Northern Cape hunting operator Alexander Steyn.

Controversial football strongman Irvin Khoza, sidelined from direct involvement in the 2010 World Cup, is attempting to muscle his way into the action via the commercial company that will look after Bafana Bafana. The 2010 local organising committee is headed by Danny Jordaan, at the behest of world football’s governing body, Fifa.

South Africa’s ”buy South Africa campaign”, Proudly South African (PSA), is floundering. Hundreds of disillusioned members have withdrawn their annual subscription fees, key staff members have resigned and revenue from founding sponsors has run dry. The PSA campaign flowed from the Presidential Job Summit in 1998.