| THE WEEK IN REVIEW |
|
SAA boss needs a new sangoma to help in fuel crisis 2008-05-18 06:00:01 Khaya Ngqula, the SAA chief executive, must change sangomas. When economists warned the price of oil was rising and forecast to break the $100 (R763) a barrel barrier, the airline budgeted for oil at $65 a barrel. [Full Story...] Mango boss must stop dancing on Nationwide's grave 2008-05-11 06:00:01 Making the announcement soon after the demise of rival Nationwide Airlines, Bezuidenhout said Mango had worked hard to achieve profitability in a short time. He claimed the SAA subsidiary would show a profit when the figures were released in two months. [Full Story...] Liberty chief survives purge of president's men for now 2008-05-04 06:00:01 All the president's men are falling by the wayside but Saki Macozoma, the chairman of Liberty Group, has so far survived the purge that followed Thabo Mbeki's humiliation at Polokwane. [Full Story...] For Eskom, sorry really does seem to be the hardest word 2008-04-27 06:00:01 The gloom over Eskom's load shedding strategy, which has cost the economy billions of rands, was overshadowed by the human side of loss, when The Star reported the tragedy on Thursday of how Elsie Dornel died after inhaling fumes from a generator running in her home. [Full Story...] Cell C's profit is welcome cheer after seven-year itch 2008-04-20 06:00:01 Seven years on and itching to crack open the champagne, Cell C finally had cheerful news this week. The firm reported an operating profit, showing its focus on the lower-income market was starting to pay rewards. [Full Story...] Bosses silent after careless words cost bank big business 2008-04-13 06:00:01 It comes as no surprise that some of the country's top chief executives are tongue tied if you consider how much it cost Standard Bank when chairman Derek Cooper offered his advice on coping with the power crisis. For daring to suggest a smelter shutdown, mining giant BHP Billiton took R2.4 billion worth of its banking business away from the bank. [Full Story...] SA's corporate governance king feted by his alma mater 2008-04-06 06:00:01 It's good to see the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) honouring one of its old boys, Mervyn King, the man behind our corporate governance codes. The business community in South Africa and the world owe a large debt to King, whose guidelines on governance have redefined the way firms are run. [Full Story...] Microsoft's mission to make money in a mouse click 2008-03-30 06:00:01 Microsoft wants to ensure that its superprofits, boosted by demand for its ever-increasing and constantly updated software range, remain at the click of a mouse. [Full Story...] Erwin must know SA deserves more than Maroga offers 2008-03-23 06:00:01 South Africa's politicians ought to start showing they understand the meaning of leadership instead of leaving the nation in the dark when citizens most need their leaders to be switched on. [Full Story...] Vodacom BEE deal may not be quite so beneficial to all 2008-03-16 06:00:01 After the change in the country's political leadership put a spoke in Vodacom's black economic empowerment (BEE) initiative, chief executive Alan Knott-Craig said on Tuesday that the company was on track to help previously disadvantaged people become future owners of the country's biggest cellphone operator. [Full Story...] Transformation puts Liberty train on track for big gains 2008-03-02 06:00:01 The transformation at Liberty Group has had a positive effect on the balance sheet, with the life insurance group reporting record earnings from its main cash cows, Liberty Life and Stanlib. [Full Story...] Vodacom gets scorched by political heat from ANC 2008-02-24 06:00:01 First, Sasol was subtly ordered to pump up its performance in line with the secret wishes of the country's new ruling elite. Bheki Khumalo, the former presidential spokesman, left amid speculation he was closely aligned to the old guard. [Full Story...] Khumalo should break silence on Sasol's petrol politics 2008-02-17 06:00:01 The politics of petrol after the ANC's Polokwane pretzel seems to have had its first corporate fallout at Sasol. Bheki Khumalo failed to pump up the petrochemical giant's media performance in the same way his sterling efforts got the presidency good publicity. [Full Story...] Carroll's Afro-optimism shines much-needed light on SA 2008-02-10 06:00:01 Africa, the dark continent with great expectations, features high on the optimism radar of Cynthia Carroll, the Anglo American boss. [Full Story...] Erwin's walking handbag appears to hold nothing of practical use 2008-02-03 06:00:01 It's hard to dim the view that Alec Erwin, the minister of public enterprises, has a handbag next to him. The dour Jacob Maroga, Eskom's chief executive, has become a permanent fixture alongside Erwin whenever the spotlight falls on the minister. [Full Story...] Vodafone woos Vodacom as Oger Telecoms plays cupid 2008-01-27 06:00:01 Valentine fever has gripped Vodafone, the British-based telecoms company, which is continuing its amorous pursuit of Vodacom. Playing cupid this week, according to Business Report, was Oger Telecoms, whose bid for a stake in Telkom, which is reluctantly hanging onto its 50 percent share of Vodacom, has opened the doors for Vodafone to continue wooing its dream partner. [Full Story...] America sneezes and things get a little feverish in SA 2008-01-20 06:00:01 Companies trading on the JSE did not seem to suffer too badly, or so we think, when the US subprime housing crisis saw global companies lose billions of dollars. On Wednesday, however, the JSE's Top40 index lost 2.6 percent as the US economic slowdown sent shares of South African companies on a sharp downturn. [Full Story...] Microsoft SA's pale males and females help keep our flag flying high 2008-01-13 06:00:01 As Bill Gates left the international stage this week with a bang, Microsoft South Africa's Cyril Belikoff silently joined the circus. The super-rich Gates is to focus on his charitable foundation. But the company is in good hands. [Full Story...] Hard times for retailers raises prospect of cost cutting 2008-01-06 06:00:01 The festive season has ended with a whimper for retailers and consumers, although headlines from the New Year revelry seemed over the top with descriptions of parts of Johannesburg as a "war zone". [Full Story...] Quality enables Woolies to lift shares despite JSE setback 2007-12-23 06:00:01 Despite falling out of the JSE's blue chip Top40 index last week, Woolworths shares shot up by 9 percent after it emerged that the retailer was in talks with a partner that could have an impact on its future. Shares went up to R16.25 giving it a market value of R14.6 billion. [Full Story...] Mbeki's empty apology fails to brighten our festivities 2007-12-16 06:00:01 A long with Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni hiking interest rates eight times in 18 months, Eskom's practice of load shedding has also put a damper on the festive season. [Full Story...] Mboweni's gift will be as welcome as a handkerchief 2007-12-09 06:00:01 It was the worst kept Christmas secret around. Tito Mboweni, the governor of the Reserve Bank, did not disappoint when he announced another hike in interest rates on Thursday, lifting the repo rate by 50 basis points to 11 percent. [Full Story...] Noble Ntsebeza sets example to greedy players blinded by BEE 2007-12-02 06:00:01 Black economic empowerment and integrity usually do not belong in the same sentence but Dumisa Ntsebeza, the chairman of Barloworld, has successfully managed to unite the two concepts. Ntsebeza could have scored financially when he was given the chance to take part in the company's black economic empowerment (BEE) deal. Ntsebeza turned it down, citing concern over governance. [Full Story...] Erwin must eject SAA's costly Humpty Dumpty, not prop him up 2007-11-25 06:00:01 Although I have criticised the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the past for its disgusting habit of picking up other people's stompies, I could not resist recycling one of its fag ends this week. [Full Story...] Vodacom's evolution means more good times will ring 2007-11-18 06:00:01 Multibillion-rand deals involving Vodacom, which may end up being listed on the JSE, dominated news this week. Speculation was rife over the cellular networker's expected divorce from Telkom and an increase in ownership in the company by Vodafone, the world's biggest cellular company. [Full Story...] Removal of dead wood at JD Group clears the way for black knight 2007-11-11 06:00:01 The big news this week seems to be the swift political winds of change, although it seems more like a gale force, at JD Group. After posting a 26 percent drop in profit, the furniture retailer forced five senior executives to quit. [Full Story...] MultiChoice and Sony host Halloween party with TV tricks and treats 2007-11-04 06:00:01 MultiChoice fired the first salvo in South Africa's pay television wars on Wednesday - Halloween in the US - when it announced that Sony Pictures International would start screening entertainment on two channels on the DStv platform this week. Sony Pictures Entertainment is a division of Sony. Stars on its roster include the likes of Will Smith and Adam Sandler. [Full Story...] Retailers ignore Mboweni's Scrooge act in Xmas offers 2007-10-28 06:00:01 Earlier this month, when the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates for the seventh time since June last year, governor Tito Mboweni was described as the Grinch who stole the bliss of the festive season. [Full Story...] The week in review - 14 Oct 2007 2007-10-14 06:00:01 Pity South Africa's poor executives, who are leaving their posts in droves, according to a Deloitte survey on remuneration published widely this week. Many companies said the poaching of black executives was rife, while the Institute of Directors blamed the high turnover on stress. [Full Story...] The week in review - 07 October 2007 2007-10-07 06:00:01 Telkom Media this week asked the Independent Communications Authority of SA to grant 20-year licences to new pay television players in order to give them time to put their stamp on the market. [Full Story...] The week in review - 29 September 2007 2007-09-30 06:00:01 This was the week when the bigwigs came out to play. Instead of targeting one company for not putting its rands where its black economic empowerment future lay, the powerful Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is going to take the bull by the horns and throw its own money at asset managers that are more empowered than those it currently deals with. [Full Story...] The week in review - 16 September 2007 2007-09-16 06:00:01 Frankly, the debate about white women clambering up the corporate ladder on an employment equity ticket is getting tiresome. Not long ago white men were yesterday's heroes. Now white women are in the firing line. [Full Story...] The week in review - 08 September 2007 2007-09-09 06:00:01 Ho ho ho. Will someone tell me whether a finance hotshot can make a good businessman? [Full Story...] The week in review - 02 September 2007 2007-09-02 06:00:01 Is it me or was there something wrong about President Thabo Mbeki surfing with global technology hotshots in San Lameer at the beginning of the week? [Full Story...] Week in review - August 26 2007 2007-08-26 06:00:01 Thumbs up to the competition tribunal for providing details this week of why it prohibited the proposed merger between Telkom and Business Connexion. [Full Story...] The week in review - 19 August 2007 2007-08-19 06:00:01 The week kicked off, and ended, on a gloomy note as shares on the JSE tumbled due to global credit woes. The person in the street would not have been badly shaken, although those looking to retire soon may take a hit through their pension funds. [Full Story...] The week in review - 12 August 2007 2007-08-12 06:00:01 In the end there was a good zing to the long-running tiff between management and striking workers at Vodacom. On Tuesday they finally dialled in to each other's dilemmas and resolved to make peace. [Full Story...] The week in review - 05 August 2007 2007-08-05 06:00:01 National women's month got off to a flier with the news that Cynthia Carroll, Anglo American's chief executive, is finally making waves in the corridors of power. [Full Story...] Week in review - 29 July 2007 2007-07-29 06:00:01 Money-grabbing private hospital monopolies Netcare and Medi-Clinic this week denied accusations that they were overcharging patients in an elaborate scheme that could cost medical aids R2 billion this year. [Full Story...] Week in review - July 22 2007 2007-07-22 06:00:01 When the going gets tough, the tough remain in the line of Robert Mugabe's fire. [Full Story...] Week in review - July 15 2007 2007-07-15 06:00:01 Give Me the Good News, if I recall, was a hit song in the 80s by South African artist Crocodile Harris. David Gresham used to play the track on the old Springbok Radio and it probably swam to the top of the charts when Radio 5 was slightly less dull than at present. [Full Story...] Week in review - 8 July 2007 2007-07-08 06:00:01 It is hard to imagine Allan Knott-Craig, the Vodacom chief executive, missing yesterday's July Handicap in Durban, since the cellular operator was the event's chief sponsor. [Full Story...] Week in review - 1 July 2007 2007-07-01 06:00:01 I would be worried if I was one of the 1.9 million members of the Discovery Health medical scheme. The scheme has not managed to achieve a 25 percent solvency margin as required by law for two years. [Full Story...] Week in review - June 24 2007 2007-06-24 06:00:01 It comes as no surprise to hear this week that South African banks are charging local consumers more than double the world average in bank charges. [Full Story...] The week in review - 17 June 2007 2007-06-17 06:00:01 The transformation train is chugging on among the upper echelons of Aspen, the maker of generic drugs. [Full Story...] The week in review - 10 June 2007 2007-06-10 06:00:01 If there was ever a time for belt tightening, it arrived on Thursday when Tito Mboweni, the governor of the Reserve Bank, announced that the repo rate would go up by 50 basis points to 9.5 percent, bringing the prime lending rate to 13 percent. [Full Story...] The week in review - 13 May 2007 2007-05-13 06:00:01 Partners in crime have long or short associations, depending on the benefits that accrue and the interests that are served. Loyalties, similarly, either have material benefits or are based on common likes, common dislikes or common ideology. [Full Story...] Week in review - 06 May 2007 2007-05-06 06:00:01 Communists are a magical bunch. I'm not speaking about the Stalinists of yore, nor those who steadfastly believe that centrally planned economies are created to serve apparatchiks or their anointed acolytes. [Full Story...] The week in review - 29 April 2007 2007-04-29 06:00:01 Love relationships in the world of high finance and politics are always the envy and target of us minions. [Full Story...] The week in review - 22 April 2007 2007-04-22 06:00:01 Unashamedly, I'd like to use a concept that was extensively used by a Marxist faction in the ANC before and after its leading members were unceremoniously kicked out of the liberation organisation in 1985. [Full Story...] |
