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Disruption: Soweto residents protest in front of Maponya Mall against the wave of violence and looting that affected Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July last year. Photo: Luca Sola/AFP

Can the private sector help to fix ‘a fragile state’?

Privatisation stands to deepen inequalities. But some experts say collaboration between business and government can work in everyone’s interest

Commuters drive in the city centre of Ouagadougou on January 23, 2022. – Gunfire broke out at several army barracks in Burkina Faso on Sunday, prompting the government to deny that the military had seized control of the notoriously volatile Sahel state. “Since 1 am, gunfire has been heard here in Gounghin coming from the Sangoule Lamizana camp,” a soldier in a district on the western suburbs of the capital Ouagadougou said. (Photo by Olympia DE MAISMONT / AFP)

Coup season in the Sahel raises uncomfortable questions

Beset by political instability, the region is also the canary in the climate change coal mine

Income grant: Big bang for a few rand

Corporate South Africa is rolling out the big guns to spike momentum towards a universal basic income grant that threatens to expose their sick graveyard economy

Security companies, community policing forums and the police have drawn up contingency plans to stop looting and public violence. (Guillem Sartorio/AFP)

Vax passports: Business takes cues from government

The private sector, labour and government have been thrashing out ways to increase vaccinations and to restart the economy

Struggles: Many South Africans sought relief from the Unemployment Insurance Fund at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jobs are now increasing but not fast enough. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Economy’s signs of life mean little for the poor

GDP growth may be encouraging but it doesn’t mean much for SA’s millions of unemployed

Q&A Sessions: ‘Post Office was a journey of faith’

Mark Barnes, the former South African Post Office chief executive, talks to Nicolene de Wee about the highlights of his 30-year career in finance and markets. The 64-year-old…

GameStop rally crash calms JSE

The equities rally has come crashing down, along with fears of contagion on the JSE after large-scale sell-offs by investors

(John McCann/M&G)

Agriculture eyes rival to Land Bank

The state-owned institution’s financial woes have led farmers and agribusiness to consider making an offer on the bank, starting a cooperative bank or partner with global…

MTN has announced that it is exiting Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry in a bid to leave some markets in West Africa. (Supplied)

Sapo, MTN to fight over R900m tender

The contract, to upgrade Sapo network facilities, was initially advertised in 2016 with both Telkom and MTN contesting

The Constitutional Court reserved judgment last Tuesday in Sassa’s application to extend the CPS contract. (Oupa Nkosi/M&G)

Sassa admits no contingency plan for grant payments

The tender deadline was originally postponed from February 28, and risks being postponed again.

Allegations include improper and unlawful conduct by Sapo officials.

Sapo finally gets the nod to prove grants scheme capacity

Sapo and Sassa have been in a months-long deadlock over the details of a proposal to assist with the new grant scheme but a deal has now been reached

Right2Know campaigners picketed outside the Social Development head office over the social grants debacle on Monday.

Sassa and Sapo agreement date pushed back yet again

Sassa and Sapo are yet to reach a deal for the payment of social grants and their negotiations have been pushed back to November 17

A former member of the Israeli secret service wrote a book about his capture of Adolf Eichmann – the “Prime Evil” of Nazi atrocities – pondering crime and forgiveness.

‘The country is gripped with panic’ as deadlock continues with Sassa and Sapo

​The Sassa and Sapo have been entangled in a lengthy negotiation battle to try work out a deal for the payment and management of social grants.

Daydreams of a health minister: The high-level meeting on TB this week in New York is in part the work of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. (Reuters)

Sassa and Sapo agree to ‘sit through the night’ to thrash out deal

Sassa and Sapo appeared before a joint parliamentary meeting on Tuesday and are attempting to work out a deal for the payment of social grants

Strictly professional: Pearl Bhengu

New Sassa crisis looms as it goes back to drawing board on grants

What Sassa is now proposing is that the bidding process be reopened on November 3 2017.

Allegations include improper and unlawful conduct by Sapo officials.

Post Office closes 221 outlets amid R1.1bn loss

Falling revenues and financial losses have hit Sapo hard and a return to profitability is not expected before 2018.

Delivery service: Mark Barnes wants to trade on the Post Office’s unequalled reach throughout the country.

Barnes storms the Post Office

The organisation’s new chief has been called many things but there’s no doubting his determination to turn things around.