Government spent R4.1m to oppose Wal-Mart merger

[Paul Vecchiatto] Government's review application against the R16.5 billion Wal-Mart/Massmart merger cost it R4.1 million, says Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel. Read more >>

Oasis warns on Redefine deal

[Edward West] Oasis Group Holdings, the asset management group, has recommended to clients with Fountainhead units not to accept Redefine's proposed acquisition of the property unit trust. Read more >>

Africa is where it's at for retail

[Zeenat Moorad] For global retailers looking to secure long term growth and diversify their source of income, setting up an African strategy is key. Read more >>

Digital banking report released, indicates FNB is front-runner

A report, The New Digital Age Tipping Point, just released by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), indicates that digital banking is set to change the way customers interact with their banks by 2015. Read more >>

Cash back incentive for good borrowing habits

Described as a first for the South African banking industry, Absa announced yesterday 3 April 2012, that it will award customers who maintain good payment records an automatic 1% refund of the original loan value every year through its personal loan cash back offer. Read more >>

Capevin delisting planned

Capevin, which owns 58% of Distell, is to be delisted from the JSE, with shareholders receiving an offer based on Distell's share price before the end of June. Read more >>

Avon slams door on USD10bn Coty offer

NEW YORK, USA: Door-to-door beauty products seller Avon slammed the door on Coty's US$10 billion takeover bid on Monday aimed at obtaining much-needed distribution channels in emerging markets. Read more >>

New mixed-use development for Western Cape

Undertaken in response to market demand for commercial property space in the growing commercial node south of Kuils River (Cape Town), Intaprop announced that it has assembled Saxdowne Park, a prime mixed-use development. Read more >>

Charity wine tasting of first growths in Cape Town, Johannesburg

The international private members club, The Wine Club, will feature some of the most famous and oldest wines in the world from Bordeaux (left and right banks), Italy, Spain, Australia, US and South Africa at its first 'World of First Growths' wine tasting events in Cape Town and Johannesburg this month. Read more >>

Cape Wine 2012 ready for international visitors

The three-day trade exhibition Cape Wine is back after four years and will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 25-27 September 2012. At the same time, a partnership of South African tourism bodies, working with the wine industry, will host Vindaba, a trade exhibition of the country's range of wine tourism offerings. Read more >>

Second round of finalists for on-pack design awards announced

Four finalists in two categories have been selected for the second round of finalists of the Pyro Inspiration Awards. These are Bob Martin's Vetcare, In Our Green House Olive, Mainstay's Pina Colada and Schick. Read more >>

2012 Pentawards open for entries

The 2012 Pentawards packaging design competition has opened for entries offering packaging designers, brand owners and packaging suppliers 44 entry categories, divided into five major sectors - Food; Beverages; Body; Other Markets and Luxury. Entries close on 11 May 2012. Read more >>

The Consumer Protection Act one-year on

[Andries Mahlangu] Last week marked one-year since the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) came into force. Read more >>

Broadside for Patel's 'competition meddling'

[Amanda Visser] In a rare public outburst, David Lewis, former chairman of the Competition Tribunal, severely criticised the government, especially Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, for using the competition authorities to leverage concessions out of international investors. Read more >>

Milk production figures show strong market growth

Recently released figures from the Milk Producers' Organisation show that the strong growth of the dairy market continued during 2011. While growth during 2010 was partially gained at the cost of lower prices, this was not the case in 2011. The fastest growing categories in the retail market were pre-packed cheese (+17.8%) and UHT milk (+10.6%). Read more >>

Website watching South African retail prices proves popular

The independent website, Retail Price Watch, which tracks prices of more than 17 000 household goods in over 40 stores around the country, allowing consumers to compare prices at Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Spar, Shoprite and Checkers, has received over 13 000 unique visitors and more than 50 000 page views in its first three months of operation. Read more >>

Wal-Mart deal changes the merger game

[Amanda Visser] It has gone ominously quiet after the much-awaited judgment by the Competition Appeal Court in the Wal-Mart matter, but there is still a week left for the parties to indicate whether they will consider appealing to the Supreme Court of Appeal. Read more >>

HomeChoice Holdings plans to list on JSE

HomeChoice Holdings, a direct marketing retailer selling home décor and financial services products to the rapidly expanding middle-income market in southern Africa, has announced its intention to list on the JSE in the second half of 2012, market conditions permitting. Read more >>

Kaspersky Lab confirms Flashfake/Flashback botnet infection impact

MOSCOW, RUSSIA / JOHANNESBURG, SA: Kaspersky Lab's experts recently analysed Flashfake, a massive botnet that infected more than 600 000 computers worldwide, and concluded that more than 98% of the infected computers were most likely running a version of Mac OS X. Read more >>

UKOM appoints comScore as official 2013 partner for UK online audience measurement

LONDON, UK: comScore, Inc has announced that UKOM, one of the leading voices for online audience measurement for advertisers, media agencies and online media owners in the UK, has signed an agreement confirming comScore as the new partner for online media measurement in the UK market as of 2013. Read more >>

TV content shines as deals abound at MIPTV

CANNES, FRANCE: New platforms and expanding global markets drive new blockbuster TV content deals at MIPTV, from formats and scripted series, international co-productions to factual and experimental media. Read more >>

Cannes Lions: Cyber, Radio and Promo & Activation juries

CANNES, FRANCE: The line-up for three more of the 2012 Cannes Lions juries has been announced by the International Festival of Creativity: Cyber, Radio and Promo & Activation. South Africa is represented by Rob McLennan, of Net#work BBDO; he will head the Radio jury, and Livio Tronchin, of Derrick, is on the Promo & Activation jury. Read more >>

Festival of Media - two days left to enter

MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND: Are you an innovative new media company? Do you want to get your business in front of the most senior decision makers in global marketing and media? If the answer is yes then enter M.A.P. (Media Accelerator Programme) now. Read more >>

RamsayMedia a founding partner in CSI portal

RamsayMedia has taken its CSI initiatives to the industry in a very public way. The company is one of the founding businesses to join WeCanChangeOurWorld (a bizcommunity.com partner), which is a sustainable social transformation portal showcasing the CSI efforts of corporate and non-profit organisations. Read more >>

SA businesses are unaware of their water footprints

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Risk Report 2012 lists a global water supply crisis as the second most important global risk, second to a major systemic failure of our financial systems, according to this report, courtesy Global Carbon Exchange - http://www.globalcarbonexchange.com/. South Africa, for example, faces a looming water shortfall of 2,7-billion cubic metres by 2030. Read more >>

DA's complaints against info bill 'absurd'

[Paul Vecchiatto] African National Congress Chief Whip Moloto Mothapo has labelled the Democratic Alliance's (DA) complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over adverts in support of the Protection of State Information Bill "absurd and ridiculous". Read more >>

Molewa cracks whip on unregistered rhino horn stockpiles

Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has urged private landowners who are in possession of rhino horn stockpiles to register them. Read more >>

MTN faces human rights probe

THE SA Human Rights Commission has received a request from the DA to investigate MTN for alleged human rights violations in Iran. Read more >>

Public protector could investigate MTN allegations

Allegations that network operator MTN unduly influenced SA's foreign policy could be investigated by the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela says. Read more >>

Govt addresses public concerns on petrol price hike

Government says it has taken note of the nation's concerns regarding the petrol price increase, which came into effect at midnight last night. Read more >>

The sexiest Mini ever made

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] For the first time in its long history the iconic Mini has chopped off its roof, thrown away its back seats, acquired a fold-down cloth top and adopted the name of Roadster - a metamorphosis which has turned a cute and trendy city car into a fully-fledged little sports car. Read more >>

Lonrho and easyGroup to open first easyHotel in Africa

Lonrho and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyHotel Group will open their first hotel in Johannesburg later this year. Created from the conversion of the former Stuttafords department store building, the 120-bedroom budget hotel on three floors is expected to receive guests in November 2012. Read more >>

Air Transport Market Analysis - Market 2012

These are the key points from full report that was released this week and which looks at air transport markets in February. Read more >>

Titanic rules, now and for ever

[Daniel Dercksen] James Cameron has done it again! The force behind Terminator, Titanic and Avatar, writer-director and producer James Cameron has achieved an impossible dream: perfecting the art of 3D conversion in bringing Titanic to the big screen in all its glory - and unlike anything you have ever seen before. Read more >>

Black Magic Imaginings

[Maike Gevers] It was in a small garage filled with hay that I first encountered Stuart Lightbody. There were others there, I hasten to add - a good friend of mine had turned his front garden into an open-air theatre in celebration of his 21st birthday. The stable-like garage was the performance space and Stuart Lightbody was the entertainment. Watching him last week, I tried again to hold my best poker face, but he still managed to know what I was thinking. Darn. How come he gets it right, every time? Read more >>

The pumping heart of the CTEMF

[Julie Anne Pocock] Electronic music is not new to Cape Town. From its origins within and around the underground scene, it fast spread onto the commercial club circuit and over recent years to regular three-day-long outdoor festivals. In short, electro is everywhere. Read more >>

Spoegwolf release video for Lenie Blou

[Sindy Peters] In the shadows of a Stellenbosch vineyard lurks a hairy, gleaming-eyed monster called Spoegwolf (Spitting Wolf). The monster, seeking world domination, isn't scary at all - unless, of course, you're terrified of Afrikaans folk-rock. The band of four recently released a video for Lenie Blou and, it being their first video, described the process as incredible, long, and tasting like Powerade... Read more >>

The crime of the century

[Johann Smith] Despite the rain, the majority of the audience stood outside smoking and drinking, trying hard to figure out what to make of Dansmettieduiwels. But for us here tonight, there are several opposing views that will never meet. God only knows. Or rather: only God knows. Read more >>