Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan has said that the
fiscus can't sustain the uncertainties around e-tolls. Well, a great many motorists and companies are also uncertain of what impact e-tolling is going to have on their monthly costs. After much to-ing and fro-ing, the monthly bill was capped at R550 per month for light vehicles, but in this report, Gordhan is reported as saying "statistics derived from the gantries on the highway showed that people would not be paying more‚ on average‚ than R150 or R100 a month. He said inflated numbers were being put out to the public." Clear as mud?
These tolls are going to impact on every one of us, everywhere in the country, because every company based in Gauteng, having operations in or through Gauteng or dealing with any such company, will face increased costs. And guess who will have to pay...
On the mobile front, Lax Faure discusses
the technology tsunami... No other development in the history of the world has caused so much change, in such a short time period, he writes.
Food-crop improvement by conventional plant breeding, without resorting to GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) technology, is the goal of the African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) and its work has borne fruit and
African farmers can now select seeds for their needs.
Thinking of travelling to the US? Think again...
Travel chaos is looming as the US cancels flights thanks to Cyclone Sandy. Air France, British Airways, Virgin and other European airlines cancelled all flights into New York, Baltimore, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia on Monday, while US airlines called off thousands of domestic flights and diverted planes away from Sandy's path. There is likely to be a knock-on effect, so check with your travel agent or airline if you're due to travel to the US.
Rod Baker, content director
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The country's major challenges in agriculture are a shrinking commercial farmer community‚ inadequate assistance to smallholder farmers and rising food prices compounded by climate change‚ says Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. 
Media and commentators are eager to focus on "perceived battles" in the ANC ahead of its elective conference in Mangaung, instead of the party's policies, President Jacob Zuma said yesterday. 
President Jacob Zuma has withdrawn his claim for damages against a Zapiro cartoon published in the Sunday Times and agreed to pay half of its legal costs, according to the newspaper on Saturday. 
Departments will have to consolidate programmes and activities, and seek greater value for money from what is available in the Fiscus, the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan said earlier this week. 
South Africa's sound institutional framework, built on the foundation of the Constitution, will hold the country in good stead as it faces uncertainty at home and abroad, the Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan said yesterday. 
President Jacob Zuma, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), will today, Saturday, bestow medals on military veterans who have distinguished themselves in various capacities prior to 1994 in the quest to see the dawn of democracy in SA. 
Communications Minister Dina Pule has thanked the outgoing members of the Telkom Board of Directors for their contribution in turning around Telkom and for their service to the country. 
Social dialogue between labour, government and business would help mobilise all South Africans who are in a position to make a contribution to the economy, the Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Wednesday. 
The Competition Commission has referred a case of price fixing and market division regarding the supply of diesel to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication. The case involves Chevron SA, Engen Limited, Shell SA, Total SA, Sasol Limited, BP SA and South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA), it said. 
Although relations between South Africa and China have been improving, South Africa is still seen as a country that provides mineral commodities and not value-added products, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies. 
President Jacob Zuma has reiterated his support for the campaign that encourages South Africans to productively use the land to improve food security for millions of citizens. 
Consulting Engineers SA (Cesa) has welcomed what it described as the government's honest approach to recognising weaknesses in South Africa's infrastructure and addressing them. 
There are still "some difficulties" that need to be addressed before the Gauteng e-tolls can be implemented‚ Business Unity SA (Busa) said on Friday. 
African countries need to tighten their road traffic enforcement laws or risk losing more lives in avoidable road crashes. This was one of the issues that emerged at the two-day road safety conference, which ended in Johannesburg on Wednesday. 
A shortage of black graduates in medical careers indicates a deeper problem with affirmative action, AfriForum Youth said on Wednesday. 
