Staff Reporter

Retail trade sales at constant prices for June 2006 increased by 9,1% compared with June 2005, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday. Retail trade sales at constant prices, for the second quarter of 2006, increased by a record 9,8% compared with the second quarter of 2005.

The level of enterprise-surveyed employment in the formal non-agricultural sectors of the economy increased further in the three months to March 2006, albeit at a slower pace than in the three preceding quarters, the South African Reserve Bank says in its latest quarterly bulletin.

The increases in residential real estate prices continued to slow during the course of 2006, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said on Thursday. The year-on-year rate of increase in the prices of residential property in the middle segment of the market, as measured by Absa, decelerated uninterruptedly from 35,5% in September 2004 to 13,6% in August 2006, the SARB noted.

South Africa will partner with Airbus in a new aerospace research and technology initiative that aims to identify and develop new advanced applications for the global aerospace industry, said the Department of Science and Technology. The partnership follows the country’s decision last year to join the Airbus A400M military transport programme.

The Department of Minerals and Energy could implement a retail petrol-price cut of 66c per litre (c/l) on October 4 provided the daily over-recovery remains at or above the September 18 level. South Africa’s daily unleaded petrol price over-recovery rose to 68,914 c/l on September 18 from 64,652 c/l on September 15.

Quick job moves never look good on a CV and will always be questioned by an employer, but staying in a job too long can indicate you lack the ambition to take on new challenges and new environments. If a CV exhibits quick moves as a pattern, it will raise big questions for prospective employers.

Question: I am 42 years old with my own business and a net income of R500 000. I require as much passive income as possible with tax benefits. I have numerous shares but have a problem following them regularily due to my business operations. I am certain I miss out on opportunities in the stock market.

Paper giant Mondi has saved R38-million in energy and water consumption since 2003, by implementing energy efficiency measures. It saw a net cost saving of 27,2% for purchased energy and water by the end of last year, compared with projected consumption without energy-saving measures.

South African philanthropists say they like to support education, but their known contributions are a tiny percentage of what American private donors are spending here. Wealthy Americans spend far more on what, to them, is a distant and exotic country than our own benefactors do.

Econet Wireless — Zimbabwe’s largest mobile network operator — will early next year introduce 3G for the first time in that country, initially targeting the capital city Harare, the company said in a statement on Friday. Zimbabwe will join South Africa and Mauritius as the only African countries to roll-out 3G services.

The much-anticipated mobile-number portability "Go-Live" date is now scheduled for November 10 2006, the country’s third mobile service provider, Cell C, said on Thursday. The new implementation date announced by the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa follows a request submitted to extend the date beyond the September 18.

South African brewing giant SABMiller, which is listed in London and on the JSE, announced on Tuesday that it has completed the acquisition of the Foster’s business and brand in India for $120-million. SABMiller India will extend Foster’s Lager through its national network of breweries.