| 10 Sep 2013 |
So who gets to keep the house? What with high divorce rates and the high cost of living, couples often find themselves living together for a while before jumping into marriage, if at all. But what happens if the honeymoon ends... who gets to keep the house? And for that matter, the car, furniture, family pet..? Juliette Attwell, writing in our BizCareers advisor column, tells you how to price yourself right and dress for success. Let's face it, turning up for an interview in slops probably won't cut it. OK, Christmas is coming and it's only a matter of time before Boney M's Drummer Boy will have you... well... whatever you do having heard it umpteen times before - but at least you know where your Christmas gifts are coming from. So spare a thought for all those kids who don't, and do your bit for the Santa Shoebox Project. It's open for pledges and your shoeboxes of gifts will bring happy smiles to a lot of kids. Just do it, darn it! And it's TIFF news for our film industry... not only is Triggerfish Animation Studios' animated movie Khumba off to the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), but so is Anant Singh's Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. It will debut at TIFF, so to both our entrants, good luck, and may it be a case of "TIFF luck" and not "tough luck" on the night. Rod Baker, Content Director
Comment online in our ed's column archive. Go mobile with apps and m.bizcommunity.com. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Subscribe to YouTube and via RSS. Send all your industry-specific news and event invitations to financenews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-finance@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com. Read "How to contribute to Biz, from op-ed pieces to news".Weekly top stories | The Government Employees' Pension Fund, instrumental in bringing the seventh annual PRI in Person 2013 to South Africa, urges local pension fund trustees, principal officers and fund managers to attend PRI in Person 2013 and to also consider attending a number of responsible investment related side-events being staged around PRI in Person 2013. Read more >> |
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 | [Charmaine Pretorius] Special economic zones (SEZs) have become the new buzzword for African governments, who see in them the long-awaited salvation from the poverty scourge that has gripped the continent despite decades of structural reform programmes.(2) SEZs are generally defined as specially demarcated areas that offer unique incentives for a diverse range of economic activities.(3) Read more >> |
 | South Africa's weakening currency, the number of recent local natural disasters and the increase in vehicle accidents have put the insurance industry under pressure to implement premium increases. However, consumers have some power to resist the blow to their budget by putting into play some strategies that could help them actually lower their premiums. Read more >> |
 | [Gillian Jones] Absa‚ which is part of the Barclays Africa Group‚ has introduced online insurance products accessible to its 1.3m Internet banking clients in a few minutes. Read more >> |
 | [Gillian Jones] South African financial institutions are being unfairly targeted by regulators given their excellent ranking for being among the most competitive in the world‚ Sanlam's group chief executive Johan van Zyl said. Read more >> |
 | [Phakamisa Ndzamela] Insurer Liberty has identified a growing demand for education insurance and launched a policy that pays for children's education in the event of the death of a parent. Read more >> |
 | Discovery reported a 4% decline in diluted headline earnings per share (HEPS) to 367c for the year ended June‚ from 383.2c a year earlier. Read more >> |
 | [Gaongalelwe Moatshe] Purchasing prepaid electricity via FNB's cellphone banking is growing in popularity as customers begin to see the benefit of using the bank's self-service channels for their transactions. Read more >> |
 | FNB Business Banking was voted as South Africa's top Business Bank in the 2013 Intellidex Business Day Investors Monthly Survey. The survey highlights a wide range of opinions that business owners and managers have on their banks in South Africa. Read more >> |
 | Emira Property Fund has successfully settled R400m of three-month unsecured commercial paper (CP) and immediately issued R399m of six-month unsecured CP and a new issue of R100m three-month CP‚ it said on Wednesday (4 September). Read more >> |
 | A partnership between MasterCard and Blue Label Telecoms will introduce the safety, security and convenience of electronic POS payments to SMMEs operating in rural and peri-urban areas in South Africa, boosting financial inclusion in under-served communities in South Africa. Read more >> |
 | [Jed Hewson] South Africa has a mobile penetration of roughly 118% - which means that 50 million people are wielding close to 59 million cell phones. Yet despite the implementation of RICA, mobile churn (where users buy and discard SIM cards) is still increasing. Read more >> |
SekelaXabiso, a South African majority black-owned professional services firm, was recognised for its significant role played in the advancement of the IIA SA's learnership programme at the Institute of Internal Auditors SA's (IIA SA) National conference. Read more >>
 | [Ross Pennell] As leading economists and governments continue to warn of bleak economic times ahead, financial experts believe that Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes, or QROPS, can help UK expatriates be comparatively resilient through tough economic conditions. Read more >> |
 | With high divorce rates worldwide and the increasing cost of living, couples often find themselves living together for a while before jumping into marriage, if at all. This means sharing expenses and buying furniture together, but when these relationships no longer work out, who gets to keep the house? Read more >> |
 | Pinnacle Technology Holdings on Thursday (5 September) said it increased its headline earnings per share (HEPS) by 17% to 205.6c in the year to June after revenue rose by 13% to R6.6bn. Read more >> |
Business Connexion has sold its interest in the Q LINK business to Summit Garnishee Solutions for R187.5m in cash. Read more >>
One of the most important decisions facing prospective home buyers is whether to apply directly to a lending institution, or use the services of a third party bond originator. Read more >>
 | [Alistair Anderson] JSE-listed New Europe Property Investments (Nepi) on Monday (9 September) announced an equity capital raising programme of about R465m through the issue of new ordinary shares. Read more >> |
 | The current constrained consumer demand environment and heightened competition for market share will persist in the new financial year‚ AVI warned on Monday (9 September). Read more >> |
 | [Joan Muller] Sandton's posh Inanda Club, which sold a third of its land (8ha) to Investec for R72,5m earlier this year for a new housing estate, is set to become one of Gauteng's most exclusive residential addresses. Read more >> |
 | When Massmart left Zimbabwe in 2011 the retailer's chief executive, Grant Pattison, left no doubt about the reason. "Indigenisation law effectively says foreigners are not welcome in Zimbabwe," he told investors at a presentation. Read more >> |
 | Manufacturing business confidence rose by three index points to 37 in the third quarter‚ the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) manufacturing survey showed on Thursday (4 September) Read more >> |
 | [Nick Hedley] JSE-listed Vukile Property Fund is "poised nicely", although the fund is maintaining a cautious approach as the listed property sector finds its feet, chief executive Laurence Rapp said this week. Read more >> |
 | The corporate and investment banking division of Absa Bank Limited, member of Barclays, recently announced that its platinum-backed electronic traded fund (ETF) is now the most traded ETF in the world - just four months after it listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Read more >> |
 | [Marc Hasenfuss] Paarl-based consumer brands company Pioneer Food has chosen an ominous time to propose an unbundling and separate listing for its Quantum Foods division - which houses a sizeable poultry business. Read more >> |
 | Though the current economic trends worry professionals, 77% of them believe that they have a future in South Africa. Read more >> |
 | The corporate and investment banking division of Absa Bank, a member of Barclays, is making structured commodity and equity investment products, previously available to a limited number of South African advisers and investors, accessible to all advisers and investors via the Momentum Wealth Platform. Read more >> |
 | [Geoff Blount] Last year, the JSE rallied 34% over the last year and a half, and the market continues to hit new highs this year. This is at severe odds with the state of both the global and South African economy. In fact, it appears that there is a disconnect between the real world and the investment world and leads one to wonder what is going on? Read more >> |
 | Redefine International‚ the London-listed subsidiary of JSE-listed Redefine Properties International‚ said on Monday, 2 September 2013, its acquisition of three shopping centres in Germany was completed on 30 August. Read more >> |
 | [Nicky Smith] South African Airways' (SAA) chief executive Monwabisi Kalawe says he has the full support of the board and Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba to do what is required and restore the struggling airline to profitability. Read more >> |
 | [Alexander Parker and Karl Gernetzky] Just as car workers are set to return to assembly lines on Monday (9 September) after a strike of almost three weeks‚ workers elsewhere in the motor industry‚ including petrol attendants‚ are to down tools. Read more >> |
 | [Samuel Teye-Larbi Amanor] China's growing interest in Africa has resulted in huge capital flows into the continent. From multi-billion dollar investments in oil and minerals, to the influx of thousands of merchants, labourers and cheap consumer goods, China's economic and political reach is redefining Africa's traditional ties with the international community. Read more >> |
Continued concern being expressed globally on the stability of the Chinese economy is also being felt in South Africa, with the local trade industry treading cautiously in anticipation of a positive outcome. Read more >>
 | South African National Parks (SANParks) would like to inform the public that the Skukuza camp will be booked out for the annual Skukuza Half Marathon 2014 runners on 1 and 2 August 2014. Bookings opened on Monday, 2 September 2013. Read more >> |
 | [Adrian Dommisse] How to move one's business offshore is a popular topic among entrepreneurs, but the decision is not as easy as many seem to think. Read more >> |
[Evan Pickworth] Representatives of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) stormed out of the annual Africa Transfer Pricing Summit on Thursday after a senior revenue official interrupted a tax professor during her presentation and suggested that the content of the presentation was misrepresenting SARS. Read more >>
 | [Gaelyn Scott] Will it work? What impact will it have on sports sponsorships? In this article, however, the question is asked: Will such a ban be constitutional? Read more >> |
 | Business Unity SA (Busa) urged the National Treasury to delay the introduction of the proposed carbon tax. Read more >> |
 | The Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) has mandated that merchants of all sizes that process, store or transmit credit card information must comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) security compliance by the end of 2013. Read more >> |
 | HONG KONG, CHINA: Fashion retailer Esprit said on Tuesday (10 September) that it suffered a net loss of HK$4.39bn (US$566m) in the year to June as it struggled to turn its brand around amid stiff competition. Read more >> |
 | NEW YORK CITY, USA: Corporate raider Carl Icahn acknowledged defeat on Monday (9 September) in his effort to block a private equity buyout of US computer giant Dell, but still argued that the plan greatly under-values the company. Read more >> |
 | BERLIN, GERMANY: The recall of millions of dishwashers that are at risk of catching fire could cost German electronics group Bosch and Siemens Hausgeraete up to €700m, the German weekly Focus reported. Read more >> |
 | NEW YORK CITY, USA: Verizon plans a record US$25bn debt offering as it gathers financing to buy Vodafone's stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture. Verizon Communications is expected to launch the offering in the next week or two, the source said. Read more >> |
 | [Chris Bathembu] SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: President Jacob Zuma and the South African delegation at the G20 summit have concluded their trip to Russia where investment and job creation topped the list of priorities in the joint discussions. Read more >> |
 | TOKYO, JAPAN: Japanese drinks giant Suntory Holdings is in advanced talks to buy the Lucozade and Ribena soft drinks brands for a possible US$1.56bn from British drugs firm GlaxoSmithKline, a report said Friday (6 September). Read more >> |
 | LONDON, UK: Analysis of the latest quarterly online search data for the retail banking sector from leading independent digital marketing agency, Greenlight, reveals queries pertaining to mortgages dominated consumer searches in July. Read more >> |
 | WASHINGTON, USA: Manufacturing activity in the USA rose for the third month in a row in August to the highest point of 2013, a monthly industry survey released on Tuesday (3 September) showed. Read more >> |
 | LONDON, UK: Verizon on Monday, 2 September said that it had agreed to buy Vodafone's 45% in Verizon Wireless from the British company for US$130bn. Read more >> |
More International
 | The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has launched a newspaper that is aimed at assisting small and medium-size businesses. Read more >> |
 | The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) says after 2017, they will be able to pay social grants in-house. Read more >> |
More Government news
Lecturers: Accounting (various). Stellenbosch University invites applications for the aforementioned position to commence duties in January 2014 or as soon as possible thereafter. Read more >>
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