Latest news and views in Brief
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) –Â South Africa’s rand firmed within a recent range on Thursday, trading sideways for a second session as investors avoided taking big positions ahead of a long weekend. The rand was at 10.5400 to the dollar at 0647 GMT, 0.25 percent off a 10.5665 close in New York on Wednesday and trading within levels … Read more
From SAPA FlySafair has been granted a licence to operate domestic flights, The New Age reported on Thursday. “This sends a clear message that FlySafair is here for the long run,” FlySafair CEO Dave Andrew was quoted as saying. “We are eager to provide South Africans with an alternate low-cost airline that is dedicated to … Read more
From SAPA The DA’s election adverts will be aired by the SABC following a hearing by the Complaints and Compliance Committee, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday. “The SABC’s revised position on this matter is a victory for freedom of expression and political activity, albeit a temporary one,” DA leader Helen Zille said in a … Read more
From Standard and Poor’s PARIS – Standard & Poor’s found that banking systems in Turkey and South Africa are the most vulnerable to the impact of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s tapering program, of the seven emerging market countries it looked at, in the report published today, “Which Emerging Market Banking Systems Could Suffer Most From … Read more
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s Reserve Bank said on Wednesday it had had fined the country’s top four banks a total 125 million rand ($11.8 million) over lax anti-money laundering controls. The central bank said in a statement it had fined the South African unit of BarclaysAfrica Group 10 million rand, FirstRand 30 million rand, Nedbank 25 … Read more
By HYUNG-JIN KIM and YOUKYUNG LEE From SAPA – Associated Press Nearly 300 people were still missing on Wednesday several hours after a ferry carrying 459, most of them high school students, sank in cold waters off South Korea’s southern coast, killing at least two and injuring seven, officials said. There were fears, however, of … Read more
From SAPA Around 290 people are officially missing after the sinking of a South Korean ferry, national media reported Wednesday. The government in Seoul said a previous figure of about 100 missing was incorrect, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported. The passengers were mostly secondary school students on a field trip to Jeju island south … Read more
From SAPA President Jacob Zuma is concerned about the escalation in costs of security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, according to Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba. On Monday, SABC radio news quoted Gigaba as saying some African National Congress members, including Zuma, were concerned about the costs of the upgrades. Gigaba delivered … Read more
Adcock Ingram’s chief executive Jonathan Louw has resigned from the pharmaceuticals group. In an announcement this afternoon on the Stock Exchange News Service, the company said Louw would be leaving with immediate effect to “pursue other interests”. Which, in South African corporate speak, usually means he was fired. Louw’s departure is not a surprise. He … Read more
From the SA Press Association: Public Protector Thuli Madonsela would like to speak to Parliament about her thoughts behind her findings on the upgrades at President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead. “In the event Parliament has a debate on this matter, the public protector would like to be invited to present her findings and the process … Read more