Some of the lesser martial arts conjure up images of sterile white suits; of politeness and Zen garden sensibility. The world of kung-fu is about Buddha figurines with red lips, licentious villains, Bruce Lee’s abs and crimes of passion. But whereas cinema buffs and trendy types are reaching for their elasticated black slippers, there are real, dedicated kung-fu disciples in the world — including South Africa.
Companies are focusing too much on changing the colour of their shareholders and not enough on broadening the base of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), warn business analysts. Of the 10 biggest BEE deals over the past two years only five have made provision to give management and employee stakes in the form of employee ownership trusts, says rating agency Empowerdex.
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was flying high in noon trade on Friday, fuelled by the rand, which was sharply weaker against major currencies. Strength was seen across the board, with advancers outpacing decliners on the all-share index by about two to one and on the Top 40 index by six to one.
Johannesburg police confirmed on Friday that kidnapped student Leigh Matthews was shot dead, a spokesperson said on Friday. "The preliminary autopsy report said that she died as a result of gunshot wounds to her body," Inspector Amanda Roestoff said. She would not elaborate on where or how many times.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=119212">Police draw a blank</a>
The Inkatha Freedom Party is to launch a rejuvenation process at its annual conference in Ulundi by strengthening the position of party secretary general.
Party leaders have their backs against the wall after a disastrous performance in the April elections, when the IFP lost control of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government and suffered a further decline in national support.
President Thabo Mbeki has reappointed Tito Mboweni as Governor of the South African Reserve Bank for a second period of five years. ”President Thabo Mbeki, after consultation with the Minister of Finance [Trevor Manuel] and members of the Board of the SA Reserve Bank, has decided to re-appoint Mboweni as governor of the bank for a period of five years,” said a government statement.
Pressure groups opposed to genetically modified (GM) organisms say some of the experts advising the government on permits for GM products are guilty of conflicting interests. Particular concern is focused on a state official, Muffy Koch, who advises the government on whether to grant permits to companies to test genetically modified organisms.
The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu) on Thursday announced its withdrawal from the Sector Education and Training Authority of Secondary Agriculture (Setasa). Fawu spokesperson Dominique Swartz said the move stemmed from several irregularities and ”racist behaviour” from certain individuals on the board of Setasa.
Crime experts have assured worried parents that kidnapping for ransom is unlikely to become a trend in South Africa. South Africans have been shocked by the tragic kidnapping and killing of 21-year-old Leigh Matthews, and left fearful that these events signal the emergence of a wave of such crimes.
Over the past months this column has devoted space to the analysis of the way in which the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal have responded to the challenge of developing the body of South African law in the image of the Constitution. In this regard, judicial appointments become critical. And recent appointments point to progress on the part of the Judicial Service Commission.