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Letters to the editor
From Mo Haarhoff, a member of the Biznews community I fell in love with words when I was still quite young. At that stage, this passion obviously manifested itself in reading. Then I graduated to little homilies that were succinct but very true. One of my favourite quotations from my teenage years are these few … Read more
From Dewald Janse v Rensburg, HR Manager, Novatek Drills (Pty): The report in Biznews.com on the pending NUMSA strike is clearly written by someone who does not understand labour organisation and the relevant structures very well. The MEIBC is not an employer group. It is a bargaining council founded in terms of the Labour Relations … Read more
It’s a safe bet that politicians are not exactly the most respected South Africans right now. You’ve really got to scratch to find any who would rank higher than used car salesmen in the public’s perception. Even my former colleague from the RDM, Helen Zille, blotted her copybook through “the kiss” and quickie divorce from … Read more
From Ian Jayes: Hi Alec I read your comments on state interventions in the economy with great interest. Your point about the United States becoming an economic powerhouse is valid in that economic freedom is the only way that wealth can grow and be spread. The problem is that capitalism is not altruistic, does … Read more
From Alfons Mauchle: Hi Alec, Thank you for your article. As far as I am aware you are the first in the media to raise the matter of our position in the WEF on the labour indices that is most noteworthy. I have been raising this issue ever since the last NUMSA strike in … Read more
By Dr Geoff Howes* Two perceptions bedevil our electorate, block thinking, and delay change necessary to move on. In “the old days” conservatives would agree that it was time for change but come the moment of decision to place the cross, “ek stem soos my Pa” would overpower reason, and the same Government would remain, almost by default ! Little … Read more
From Dr Pravin Thakur, a council member of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Many thanks for your insights into Davos 2014 and then unpacking some of the key points of our latest budget. It was quite enjoyable notwithstanding the serious and heavy stuff being reflected upon. I particularly found the broad trends that … Read more
იცით თუ არა, რომ საქართველოს აქვს საკუთარი დამოუკიდებელი ანბანური დამწერლობა? Did you know that Georgia has its own alphabetic writing system? Is it not beautiful; the curved flowing lines? Here’s another ‘did you know’. One of the butchers of the USSR-era, Joseph Stalin, was a Georgian. Last, but perhaps most importantly, the area that is … Read more
A young Biznews.com community member writes: You come into contact with a lot of big guys in business, from a perspective of wanting to make a difference in business (ultimately go into ethical capitalism, sustainability) that genre of work… Should I do my articles at a traditional audit firm (one of the big 4) or … Read more
Many small investors were attracted by the JSE listing of the AfroCentric Group. Created in 2006 and touted as the investment vehicle of successful businessmen Brian Joffe (Bidvest), Meyer Kahn (SABMiller) and Motty Sacks (Netcare), expectations were high. In the eight years since, the business has grown to a capitalisation of R2bn. But progress has … Read more