One bright entrepreneur has found the solution for those wishing to indulge to their hearts content without the fear of landing up with a hefty fine, suspended sentence or even jail term. Formed just more than 18 months ago by Adrian Bradley, a BCom graduate, the company seems set to grow in leaps and bounds.
Resurrecting a city is not an easy task. But careful planning, lots of imagination and dollops of persuasion have certainly worked for Neil Fraser, the mastermind behind the rejuvenation of Johannesburg. Fraser heads up the Central Johannesburg Partnership, a company that specialises in creating sound property investments in the city for those that have an eye for the future and a flair for entrepreneurship.
July will prove to be frenetic, as manufacturers and importers scramble to launch their new models ahead of October’s Auto Africa show at Nasrec. The all-important Car Of The Year nominations are to be announced at the same event. From minivan to hot hatch, manufacturers provide something for everyone. Here’s a sample of what you can see on showroom floors soon …
The Volkswagen Golf, now in its fifth incarnation, has been with us for 30 years. In that time, the mother and father of all hatchbacks aimed to become the Beetle of its era, and ended up outselling it. Twenty-two million volks have bought this wagen. And after 30 years of searching for flaws in the Golf, we still haven’t found one.
Because the stuff the financial sector works with — money — can roam the world, it can make itself scarce, hence artificially valuable. So governments must woo capital-owners by competing with other governments to enhance the share of the national cake that goes to people with money — especially by ensuring low wages and taxes. The financial sector has huge influence, yet contributes little to growth and jobs.
Two weeks ago, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan named the Danish civil servant Soren Jessen-Petersen as his new representative in Kosovo, almost five years to the day after Nato proclaimed its victory in its war against the Yugoslav army. A time, then, for celebration and moving forward? Not a bit. Violence will escalate in Kosovo if the UN’s new representative fails to get the international community to deliver support.
"People don’t want a war unless you absolutely have to have one, but the media would not present the possibility that there were alternatives — so therefore we went to war very much in the manner of a totalitarian society." That’s Noam Chomsky, responding to questions about the media’s role in the first Gulf War. CNN boss Chris Cramer assures Kevin Bloom that the network has no pro-American agenda.
Andy Roddick and Sjeng Schalken share a bond that goes beyond tennis. Two months ago, Roddick helped Schalken escape from a hotel fire in Rome that killed three people. Now their paths are crossing again — in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Roddick advanced to the final eight with a win on Monday.
After all the nice things we’ve said about Durban, they go and mess up the Banana City anyway. It cannot be more than a year since this column responded to outrage from some of the city’s more illustrious and intellectually grounded citizens and said some nice things about South Africa’s would-be Big Easy.
I once bought a beautifully preserved second-hand 2,5-litre Rover from a family connection. Its age and my poverty soon disproved the bargain — ”classic cars” and deep pockets go together, like leeks and potatoes. The previous owner had merely disposed of a problem. I think of that car when I contemplate some black economic empowerment (BEE) deals, reflects Reg Rumney.