Petrol's on the rise... again - 6 Mar 2012

By Sindy Peters, Content development manager

To the dismay of many South Africans, petrol is set to increase by 28c tomorrow, 7 March. Beat the afternoon bumper-to-bumper, and get your tank topped during the course of today. As of tomorrow, you'll be forking out R11.23 in Gauteng and R10.93 on the coast per litre. If you commute using public transport, be prepared to pay a slightly higher fare.

Good news though, for the Eastern Cape economy; First Automobile Works' (FAW), a multi-million rand Chinese vehicle manufacturing plant, is currently under construction in the province. According to, Coega Development Corporation (CDC) spokesperson, Ayanda Vilakazi, "it will be one of the biggest manufacturing investments by China in the country so far."

Congratulations to business law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr for hitting top spots in the DealMakers' Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) rankings. The firm was ranked first by both deal value and deal flow for M&A activity in 2011, according to the latest DealMakers legal adviser rankings.

And, while fanboys and girls continue battling it out on the mobile electronics field over which manufacturer is best, the Samsung Galaxy S II was named Best Smartphone, while the company was named Device Manufacturer of the Year by GSMA at the Mobile World Congress trade show held recently in Barcelona, Spain. The feud, however, continues...

On a happy note, it isn't the end of the road for Pretoria-based opera and classical music group Black Tie Ensemble, whose sponsorship recently dried up. MTN is sponsoring the group R2m to keep them singing. The sponsorship will enable the group to host four concerts in Johannesburg this year. Keep the arts alive and kicking, go check them out!