Mathew Blatchford writes (August 17) that my letter of last week was politically inspired. It was not intended to be, but if dissatisfaction with rhetoric and flabby thinking is ”politically inspired” then so be it. He seems unable to accept that someone can be committed to ”socialist” values (social and economic equality, individual autonomy, comprehensive […]

I find it an extraordinary turn of history when Rhodesian farmers receive international sympathy. As someone who lived in Zimbabwe through most of the 1980s, I can say with certainty that most white commercial farmers showed little compassion for farmworkers and contested at virtually every turn the efforts to redistibute land. The genuine war veterans […]

Johannesburg | Wednesday TWO South African black empowerment companies signed an agreement on Tuesday with BP’s South African subsidiary to acquire a 25% stake in its local downstream operations, company officials said. The deal, involving the Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) and Women’s Development Banking Investment Holdings (WDBIH), is in line with the government’s objective of […]

THE Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) will on Wednesday address Parliament’s finance portfolio committee, asking them to amend the Pension Funds Second Amendment Bill so that surplus assets are allocated to pensioners who were deprived of their reasonable benefits in the past. Cosatu representative Patrick Craven said on Tuesday the issue was particularly sensitive, […]

THE City of Johannesburg will sign an agreement on Friday to finalise direct foreign investment in the city. The signing would conclude the sale and purchase agreement, shareholders agreement and the City Support arrangements. The agreement will conclude the sale of a 50% stake in the city-owned Kelvin Power Station (KPS) to the consortium of […]

BIG South African food and furniture retailer Shoprite Holdings on Tuesday lifted annual headline earnings 27% and said it planned to accelerate its African expansion to counter subdued trading at home. ”For the next 18 months, we plan 15 stores for Africa, 12 for South Africa, 21 in Egypt and some 60-odd franchises in South […]

Johannesburg | Friday FINANCIAL markets should learn to differentiate between developments in one southern African country and another, Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Thursday. Mboweni was speaking at the University of South Africa after receiving the Department of Business Management’s award for excellence in managing the South African financial environment. Referring to the […]