Let's support the little guy - 27 Nov 2012[Sindy Peters: Group Head, Content] Not only large corporates need to engage in CSI / CSR, says MD of PR Worx, Madelain Roscher, SMEs need to get involved as well. According to Roscher, companies will see benefits in terms of brand recognition, increased sales, return on investment (ROI), tax benefits, and, most importantly, fostering trust with employees and the general public - all that while contributing to a greater good... What are you waiting for?! Remember the ladies in orange at the 2010 FIFA World Cup who were accused of ambushing marketing for Bavaria? Well, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has warned that he'll be having none of that during AFCON 2013. Davies plans to designate the sporting event as a "protected event" to ensure stringent advertising laws are enforced. Former MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko is a wanted man - wanted by Anglo American that is, to take the helm. While chairman John Parker sings his praises, a London-based mining analyst doesn't believe him to be the right man for the job, citing lack of operational mining experience. It's not often that the big guy lends a helping hand to the little start-up, but here's a little heart-warmer for you; as part of its Enterprise Development Initiative, Cape Town's Protea Hotel Victoria Junction has signed a "twinning" agreement with a local guest house in Thornton. read more Table Mountain has its day in the sun - 20 Nov 2012[Sindy Peters: Group Head, Content] Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain will officially be inaugurated as one of the New7wonders of Nature this December, and the City of Cape Town is going all out to celebrate the occasion! Expect a free concert for the public affair followed by a Table Mountain float joining a procession through the city. A big thanks must be made to SANParks for taking such good care of the South African ecological treasure! On trend with going green, the SA Post Office plans on procuring 90 electric scooters by 2015 in order to reduce it's CO2 emissions. read more The end is nigh... - 13 Nov 2012[Sindy Peters: Group Head, Content] With five more weekly newsletters to go, and just a few more sleeps until you find yourself pushing and shoving in a crowded shopping mall searching for that one last gift, the news flow is yet to slow! All 26 of our industry newsletters are jam-packed with what's what with the who's who. The annual Checkers/Shoprite Toy 4 Toy campaign launched this week, so if you have any new or used toys laying about that little Susie's outgrown, why not donate them to a less fortunate child. The campaign runs until early December. After Randall Abrahams handed over the SAMA CEO baton to Nlanhla Sibisi, the 2013 MTN South African Music Awards is now open for entries. Look out for a few category changes here and there, and have your entries in by 30 November 2012. read more We’re last in class - 6 Nov 2012[Rod Baker, content director] So what are we going to do about it? We all know our state education system is a shambles, and now that has been confirmed after SA was rated as bottom of class in maths and science. It's yet another extremely dubious "honour" this country has earned. read more e-toll uncertainty - we can’t stand it either - 30 Oct 2012[Rod Baker, content director] 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. read more SA defence industry needs investment - 23 Oct 2012[Rod Baker, content director] SA's arms industry is highly developed, but more investment is needed to keep SA in the technology race if it is to remain competitive. Not only can the sector be a far bigger foreign-exchange earner, but it can also be a far bigger generator of skills and jobs. Some of us might sometimes think of the agricultural sector as one in which technology is used in farm machinery, some farm operations, and not much else. read more SAA flies into flak - 9 Oct 2012[Rod Baker, content director] At this rate there will be very few, if any, of the current SAA board left after CEO Siza Mzimela quit, closely followed yesterday by the resignations of commercial general manager Theunis Potgieter, and legal and risk head Sandra Coetzee. On the technology front, America's National Science Foundation has created a new program to find new paths forward for sustainable energy. Many people reckon she deserves an 'F' - despite Angie Motshekga awarding herself a very good pass mark after the Limpopo textbook debacle. Now she has to give a report on the issue. read more ANC needs a brand makeover - 2 Oct 2012[Rod Baker, content director] Thabani Khumalo says there are times in the life cycle of any brand when it needs to be refreshed, restructured, revitalised, rejuvenated, re-worked, repositioned and even re-launched to take it to a different level. That's why he reckons brand ANC needs to be re-charged. read more We are marching in Pretoria - 25 Sep 2012[Rod Baker, content director] It's that bill again, and since the ANC caucus in parliament has called for an end to debate and for the contentious bill to be voted through in its present form, R2K is to march in Pretoria on International Right to Know Day - 28 September 2012. The opposition to this bill will continue as long as government stonewalls on key amendments. On the crime front, according to the latest stats, KZN has recorded the largest drop in murder cases. read more Telkom in the firing line - 18 Sep 2012[Rod Baker, content director] There are some people who might be forgiven for having a sense of schadenfreude at the news that while Telkom is appealing against the fine it got for uncompetitive behaviour, the Competition Commission is also appealing - for a heftier fine. For years South Africans from all walks of life have bemoaned Telkom's high charges. read more Climate change will hit food prices - 11 Sep 2012[Rod Baker, content director] Perhaps while we have an agricultural sector that allows us to feed ourselves, we should look after it. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), climate change is set to affect food prices severely. read more The SKA’s the limit for SA - 4 Sep 2012[Rod Baker, content director] The Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope (SKA) and its precursor, the MeerKAT, will create enormous opportunities and alter the image of South Africa and the continent. So says Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor. On the taxing issue of finance, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is taking urgent steps against what he calls "significant tax avoidance schemes" in connection with the new dividends tax. It's not surprising that companies are doing this - the dividends tax, which came into effect on 1 April this year at 15%, has pushed company tax in SA above an international norm of around 30%. While the armed forces are not democracies and orders have to be obeyed, not debated, there's discipline... read more Bizcommunity launches new newsletters - 28 Aug 2012[Rod Baker, content director] We've launched five new newsletters, to bring you the latest news in your sector of interest - or even sectors of interest. The five new letters are CSI, Sport, Mining, Military & Security, and Building & Construction. For example, in CSI, there's still time to enter the rhino conservation mountain bike race and help raise awareness and boost the protection of one of our most iconic animals. And on the military front, the SA Army is battling to cope fulfilling its various commitments... read more IMC to engage on Marikana dispute - 21 Aug 2012[Rod Baker, content director] What happened at Marikana last week is a blot on this country, and in an effort to ensure that what happened there does not happen again, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has committed to finding a solution to the dispute. It cannot be allowed to fail. MCI Consultants recently released the results of its recruitment trend survey. read more eNews goes international - 14 Aug 2012[Rod Baker, content director] eNews has been a success story on the South African TV front and has shown the way in providing news to its audience. Now it's spreading its wings and going international. read more |
