Jimmy Manyi came out smoking over the controversial road tolls issue by telling everyone what we already know - that the tolls are
not just a bad dream. True - for many, even at the reduced rates announced by Pravin Gordhan in his budget speech, the tolls will be worse than a bad dream... more of a nightmare.
Gordhan, far more diplomatically, is reported to have said that
the user pays principle is "sacrosanct". That's all very well, but every motorist and every freight company, emergency service and what-have-you
already pays towards the upkeep of existing roads and construction of new ones... with every litre of fuel they (and we) put in their vehicles.
Out on the high seas, in an effort to combat Somali pirates (read 'criminals') - who are ranging well beyond their home waters - the SA Navy is to set up
permanent patrols in the Mozambique Channel, through which a vast amount of the world's crude oil and our own imports and exports pass. It's vital the pirates are defeated - extra costs of security and rerouting of vessels is very likely to hit us in our pockets - eventually.
Finally,
Velvet Sky has been grounded, at least until next Monday, 5 March, so if you are planning on flying anywhere in the country, you won't be in Velvet. Here's hoping, however, that the airline is able to take to the skies again; generally, the more competition in any sector, the better it is for the consumer.
Rod Baker, general manager: content
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Employee Volunteer Week, an annual Charities Aid Foundation SA campaign to grow employee volunteering in communities takes place from 5 to 11 March with the theme Building the Bridge. During this week thousands of corporate employees will go out into communities to volunteer their time and skills for the greater good. 
The National Credit Regulator's (NCR) chief financial officer Sivo Pather has been suspended and Times Live says this action was taken after allegations of tender fraud, nepotism and abuse of company resources. NCR has appointed Ernst & Young to investigate the complaints. 
Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba has called on corporate SA to join hands with government in the procurement of professional services from previously disadvantaged companies to promote transformation. 
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is getting impatient over the delays in implementing the youth wage subsidy and Business Live reports that he wants "all the talk to be converted into action". 
Nairobi, Kenya-based Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN/PlusNews) reports that a South African journalist is attempting to take his case against Qatar to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to change the country's HIV travel and employment laws, after having allegedly been tested for HIV without consent, found positive and subsequently dismissed, detained and deported. 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) tells Business Live that it has reached an agreement with Impala Platinum that will see 15 000 workers being re-employed with the benefits and conditions that they enjoyed before the strike started. 
