6 Aug 2013

Government

MTV lives on

While MTV no longer stands for Music Television, the essence of the 32-year-old channel lives on, supported by a shiny new market segment - an audience that requires much more than music videos. In order to keep them satiated, the channel has launched its first localised interactive magazine programme for South Africa's youth - MTV Choice; it's been dubbed "pop-tastic"...

Want to start your own business? Easier said than done, I'm afraid - ask any successful entrepreneur about the trials and tribulations they experienced before finding the winning formula. Problemio.com, creator of business planning apps, has outlined five steps to starting a business.

Even if you have been in HR management for some time, it's not easy to pick out a fraudulent medical certificate. Once you have, or have your suspicions, what do you do then? Lia Marus advises on the best course of action in "How to deal with fraudulent medical certificates".

I, and I suspect many others, have a severe case of arms deal fatigue. We're going on two years since the commission was set up to determine whether there was any corruption involved in procurement contracts that were awarded in the '90s. The public hearings, were underway in Pretoria, this week, but have since been postponed for two weeks to allow for the declassification of certain documents. Here's hoping it'll be smooth sailing from there on...

Sindy Peters, Group Head: Content

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Weekly top stories


Administration
North West honours golden citizen
PRETORIA: North West MEC for Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Collen Maine, will on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, take service delivery to the eldest grandmother in Matlosana Municipality. Read more >>

NCOP holds Local Govt Week
PRETORIA: The National Council of Provinces (NCOP), in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), is holding the second Local Government Week at the Old Assembly Chamber in Cape Town. Read more >>

Poor education - another new initiative
[Evan Pickworth] There is little doubt that SA's education system is systemically flawed and in urgent need of fixing. Read more >>

Molewa to launch Farming the Wild project
Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa will launch the Farming the Wild project and the Green Economy Modelling Report of South Africa on Tuesday, 6 August 2013 in the uPhongolo Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. Read more >>

Regulation will lower communication costs
[Bekezela Phakathi] Large mobile companies in SA continue to face intense scrutiny with Parliament saying on Friday (2 August) that it was only through legislative means that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) can ensure reasonable pricing and market structure in the sector. Read more >>

Arms Deal Commission resignation was unexpected - Zuma
The resignation of Judge Francis Legodi from the Arms Deal Commission was unexpected, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday. Read more >>

Limpopo officials face corruption charges
Charges of corruption have been laid against 47 public servants in Limpopo since the start of the national government's Section 100 intervention in Limpopo in 2011, the Minister of Public Service and Administration, Lindiwe Sisulu, says. Read more >>

SABC launches 24-hour news channel
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Thursday officially launched its 24-hour news channel. Read more >>

Steynsburg's had no water for eight months
Residents of Steynsburg in the Free State are praying for rain every day because for the last eight months the town had been without a drop of water, except for what is trucked in from Kroonstad, 51km away. Read more >>

Malema critical of new 'varsities
The planned initial enrolment of 290 students at two new universities was ridiculous, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said on Thursday, 1 August 2013. Read more >>

Water problems going from bad to worse
An alarming shortage of skilled professionals is handicapping efforts to fix South Africa's water crisis, which has become so dire that government has admitted to water wastage worth R11bn a year because of leaking pipes, decrepit infrastructure and poor municipal administration. Read more >>

Legodi quits arms deal commission
President Jacob Zuma on Thursday (1 August) confirmed the resignation of Judge Francis Legodi from the commission probing the multi-billion rand arms deal. Read more >>

Incentive schemes create jobs says Marcus
Encouraging firms to employ young work seekers could help reduce unemployment, SA Reserve Bank governor Gill Marcus said on Wednesday (31 July). Read more >>

SAB justifies its distribution model
[Amanda Visser] South African Breweries (SAB) gave its appointed distributors exclusive territories‚ shielding them from competition from its own depots‚ in an effort to ensure their sustainability in exchange for the investments they were asked to make in terms of land‚ buildings and vehicles‚ SAB's distribution services manager testified this week. Read more >>

Survey finds young South Africans support alcohol ad ban
The government will likely only have moderate support from young South Africans should they go ahead with a proposed ban on the advertising of alcoholic beverages. Read more >>

Wind Resource Map to boost renewable energy efforts
Energy Minister Ben Martins says the Wind Resource Map is going to be a useful instrument in government's planning for the efficient use of the country's wind resources. Read more >>

SA's Aids policies an outstanding model - UNAIDS
The UNAIDS has described the series of breakthrough Aids policies in South Africa as an outstanding model towards the fight against HIV and Aids. Read more >>

Tutu's toes saved in time
[Nthambeleni Gabara] Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu has become the latest South African to add not so much just his toes, but his whole footprint to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Maropeng, outside Krugersdorp. Read more >>

SA needs 'natural disaster' says Agri SA
Agri SA believes South Africa needs a disaster, such as a drought, to force government to reflect on mining and food security, Beeld reported on Wednesday (31 July). Read more >>

Jobs losses prompt calls for meaningful job creation efforts
[Ntsakisi Maswanganyi] SA's official unemployment worsened in the second quarter‚ leading statistician-general Pali Lehohla and some economists to reiterate calls for education and labour policies that will address joblessness. Read more >>

Smart ID Card machines named after women veterans
Saluting all the women veterans who fought for human dignity and freedom, President Jacob Zuma today named the Government Printing Works machines - which are used to print the new cards - after the leaders of the 1956 women's march. Read more >>

Davies wants details of Luminance deal
[Linda Ensor] Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has called for a report into the National Empowerment Fund's (NEF) provision of R34m to help fund a luxury store‚ Luminance, which opened in Hyde Park last week. Read more >>

Here it is... SABC's 24-hour news channel
[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: According to BD Live, Jacob Zuma says the new SABC 24-hour news channel will not be about "chasing profits but will be telling success stories" of South Africa. Further reports from Mail & Guardian and the SABC. Read more >>

MTN, Vodacom say costs are coming down
[Bekezela Phakathi] Mobile communications groups Vodacom and MTN say that despite the "harsh" economic environment in South Africa‚ they continue to bring down the cost of data and voice services in a bid to spread access to telecommunications. Read more >>


Law Enforcement
DA wants stringent transport inspections
The Democratic Alliance on Monday (5 August) called for more inspections of vehicles transporting school pupils. Read more >>

Construction collusion entrenched?
The Competition Tribunal may have confirmed the R1,46bn in penalties for 15 construction firms which admitted collusive tendering, but serious questions remain. These include the role of the FIFA World Cup 2010's Local Organising Committee (LOC), personal consequences (if any) for the executives who facilitated the collusion and civil claims for damages by its victims. Read more >>

SAPS destroys more than 19,000 firearms
[Bhekisisa Mncube] A total of 19,245 firearms - 17,746 of them from KwaZulu-Natal and 1,499 from the Eastern Cape - were destroyed yesterday. Read more >>

Govt concerned over child prostitution reports
Government says it has noted with concern media reports which allege that child prostitution is rife and rapidly growing in the eastern Free State region due to poverty. Read more >>


International

Ban on big fizzy drinks in NY falls flat
NEW YORK CITY, USA: New York's bid to ban large, sugary sodas on public health grounds suffered a new setback on Tuesday (30 July) when an appeals court upheld a ruling striking down the proposed legislation. Read more >>

WikiLeaks expects Manning to appeal 'dangerous' verdict
LONDON, UK: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday called US soldier Bradley Manning a "hero" and said he expected him to appeal after a military judge convicted him of espionage. Read more >>


More International


Jobs offered

Immigration Manager - Sandton
Immigration manager for busy Sandton office of specialist SA immigration business. Must have excellent client, staff and immigration application management skills. Room for growth. Read more >>



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