The R30 billion that is Wal-Mart's offer for South Africa's Massmart is an amount that would have any SA politician drooling, but in the scheme of things, it's only a tiny proportion of Wal-Mart's total value. All of which is pretty much neither here nor there... What could be of importance to the SA consumer, however, is the fact that the US giant has a record of competitiveness and if it institutes the same policy here we could see SA retail giants facing some stiff competition - and that is likely to get the SA consumer's nod of approval, given the frequent complaints about the high prices of food and other commodities. And, meanwhile, Cosatu seems to be drawing a line in the sand. Could be interesting.

Rod Baker, General Manager: Content
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