Staff Reporter
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/ 19 February 2007

Avoid these insurance pitfalls

Most insurance-related complaints arise as a result of policyholders not being informed or having the time to read the fine print on their policies. A good broker will keep you in the know, but it is always commendable to have an understanding of potential pitfalls.

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/ 19 February 2007

Gas beckons as electricity falters

Johannesburg residents are increasingly switching to gas after the recent spate of electricity power outages, said Egoli Gas, the city’s gas supplier. But while gas is promoted as more reliable and environmentally friendly than coal-generated electricity, only a quarter of the population in the greater Johannesburg area has access to the gas network.

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/ 19 February 2007

Cheaper broadband by March?

Hope is at hand for hard-pressed broadband consumers, if government’s plans for a cost-based telecoms infrastructure company delivers on its promise. For years the country’s leadership has singled out the impact that exorbitantly priced telecommunication services have on the cost of doing business in South Africa.

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/ 19 February 2007

How to market a car to the youth

The Media introduces a new regular feature for media planners this month. Every month, a different media agency will be asked to draw up an advertising plan based on a fictitious brief provided by <i>The Media</i> team. The MediaShop’s Richard Lord was the first to participate.

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/ 19 February 2007

Where cellphones rule

To the casual observer, small businesses are poor stepsisters of large businesses. But small businesses play a vital role in any economy. They provide employment and competition, and a few innovate and grow to businesses of scale and sophistication. Importantly, in a South African context, a vibrant enterprise sector helps reduce the over-concentration of economic power.

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/ 19 February 2007

Africa delivers, EU fails

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that she will make Africa a priority during her country’s leadership of the G8 and the European Union. But last weekend’s first official meeting under German G8 leadership, at which South Africa’s Trevor Manuel was a guest, was not a positive start.

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/ 19 February 2007

Paradise, with solar laptop

Metropolitan’s chief economist and head of international portfolio management, Réjane Woodroffe, is working from home this week, so I call a cell number. The line is excellent, and I find it difficult to believe the voice on the other end — so close it could be in the next room — is speaking from a rondavel in the Eastern Cape, reached via satellite phone.