No business can survive by selling its products for less than it costs to produce those same products. Hence, Agri SA reckons that the just-announced minimum wages for farmworkers will drive farmers to make tough decisions. As Johannes Möller, president of Agri SA says:
"The 52% increase in the minimum wage for farmworkers, as announced by the Minister Oliphant ... will have drastic implications for this sector and related industries." It's also as well for farmworkers and Cosatu to realise once and for all, that it is government that sets the minimum wage.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has
vowed to strengthen public order policing, and says public order policing in South Africa needs to reflect the ethos of human rights and dignity. Not before time, but it will be an uphill battle, given the somewhat less than stellar record when it comes to police brutality directed at the public, suspects and protesters... Tatane and Marikana spring to mind.
One cannot help but feel that Eskom knows that they will never get the massive hikes they are demanding, but on the basis of go in high and settle for less, the
Eskom public hearings kicked off in Gauteng. More than one player pointed out what impact such hikes will have on poverty, investment and a range of other issues, if granted.
Perhaps one of the first things Eskom could do is stop placing ads on TV telling us how great they are and how they care about us.
Chris Moerdyk asks whether there is
light at the end of the Telkom tunnel, and points that perhaps... there is... and that is good news for consumers who for decades have been subjected to call and internet costs that are way out of kilter with what is reasonable.
Rod Baker: Content Director
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A modest improvement in global growth is forecast this year with gross domestic product (GDP) expected to improve to 3.3% in 2013 from a forecast 3.1% in 2012.A decline in disposable household income in the US will contribute to a moderation in growth in the world's largest economy to 2.1% this year from 2.3% last year. 
The dispute between what should constitute a health insurance policy and what is the terrain of medical schemes looks set to drag on for some time. 
When it comes to investment products for retirement, the terminology has often confused investors and even intimidated them. 
In a move to strengthen the role of auditors as public protectors and to maintain globally accepted audit practices in South Africa, the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) is revising its education and training programme for aspiring Registered Auditors (RA). 
Bringing remittance prices down to 5% from the current 12.4% average cost would put US$4bn more in the pockets of Africa's migrants and their families who rely on remittances for survival‚ the World Bank said on Monday (28 January). 
Although the lack of space at tertiary institutions may be one of the reasons many matriculants cannot enrol at university, high fees are also a barrier to entry. 
Nedbank Corporate Property Finance continues to pour money into green buildings after granting a loan to the Improvon Group to buy and install the reticulation on land in Gosforth Business Park, so it can develop the first phase of a warehouse with ancillary offices. 
The Tax Administration Act kicked in towards the end of 2012 and the new legislation could have some scary consequences for individual taxpayers. 
