Tebello Radebe Do not unbundle or break up South African conglomerates; rather hit them with heavy fines if they abuse their power, says a United States specialist. “Breaking up a monopolist does not necessarily create competition. A small economy might not be able to support a large number of competitors in an industry which requires […]
Bank chiefs condemn `blatant misinformation’ in a confidential report, writes Madeleine Wackernagel The Reserve Bank has hit back at accusations of racism, brought by Cosatu at last week’s bank collusion hearings and based on a confidential report by CS First Boston. Says deputy governor, Dr Timothy Thahane: “I took up my appointment in April, some […]
Lynda Loxton Amid signs of slower economic growth and continued lower inflation, Sanlam this week launched a gilt unit trust to provide mainly institutional investors with an alternative to equities. Senior portfolio manager Kobus Louw told a media briefing that the upsurge in share prices after South Africa’s re-entry into the world economy had just […]
Mungo Soggot THE petrol price is expected to drop 8c/litre from Wednesday in the wake of a stable rand for most of last month and a softening in international fuel prices. Motorists would have enjoyed a 9,5c a litre decrease, but it is understood Transport Minister Mac Maharaj has taken advantage of the favourable fall […]
No one prospered more than the Suharto clan as Indonesia escaped from grinding poverty, writes Paul Hunt FOUR government ministers mingled in a crowd of thousands at the launch in Jakarta of the Cakra and Nanngala, characters in the Ramayana epic whose names now adorn two sleek saloon cars. Organisers laid on models, traditional puppet […]
As the rand hits an all-time low, Reserve Bank governor Chris Stals tells the M&G that he has no intention of resigning, reports Madeleine Wackernagel Massive dollar buying at home and abroad — not his impending resignation — was behind the rand’s plunge to record lows against the deutschemark and sterling this week, says Dr […]
Black empowerment means more than just having black faces in the newsroom, argues Jacquie Golding-Duffy MAJOR newspaper companies seem to be lagging behind on the issue of black empowerment, focussing instead on doing their bit for affirmative action by training journalists and other staff. Although some print conglomerates have attempted to address black empowerment, others […]
Justin Pearce Sponsored programming continues on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in defiance of its own policy. Until last year, a regulatory vacuum left the way open for programmes which promoted commercial products under the guise of educational material, in return for sponsorship. Late last year, the SABC introduced a policy restricting the screening […]
Elsa Semmelink A platform for South African businesses to establish new contacts in the United States and Canada has been established by Rainbow Business Network International (RBNI), a Gauteng-based company which will present trade and tourism networking sessions and mini-expos lasting two days in major commercial centres in the US and Canada in October and […]
Jacquie Golding-Duffy IN the next five years, the effect of strikes in the clothing industry will be minimal as the clothing sector will have collapsed. South Africa will be forced to embrace imports, argues Econometrix economist Tony Twine. Twine says the economy, while in a transitional phase, will not benefit from a strike in the […]