With a few days and counting to the imposition of e-tolling, Fedusa has entered the fray - along with a range of other bodies - in an effort to halt what must be ranked as one of the most deeply unpopular moves on the part of government.
Fedusa has addressed an open letter to Zuma after, apparently, an earlier letter to him went unanswered - maybe he was busy on those wedding plans.
On the education front, we didn't come out of the recent World Literacy Summit in the UK smelling of roses because when it comes to literacy,
SA comes bottom of the class. Apparently the experts are puzzled as to 'how can this be?' Well, here are a couple of ideas for discussion... Under-trained teachers, bad management, lack of discipline in the classroom, lack of textbooks, a teachers' union that often seems more intent on striking than teaching... that sort of thing?
There's good news for those in ICT -
Cape Town is to host the international ICT Indaba 2012 and strategies on how Africa can be developed to be become the next boom market in the ICT sector look to be high on the agenda.
For our e-tag carrier enthusiasts, our motoring editor Henrie Geyser waxes lyrical on the Kia Optima, which Henrie describes as
smart, sensible and stylish... again, very much like our Henrie, then.
Surprise - some good news for a change from the Eastern Cape... If you're planning on flying anywhere in the next few years, there's good news for you... the man (or woman - must be PC) at the sharp end up at the front should be pretty good as an Eastern Cape pilot training school has linked up with Boeing to
train pilots.Finally - and still up in the air - kulula feels deeply for those of us who are brave enough to have four wives. So, appreciating that the cost of lugging her along with you can be heavy, the airline has just launched a
'4th wife flies free' offer. The only drawback we can see is that the offer is open to all fourth wives when the family travels together on the Joburg to Cape Town leg - so if you live in Durban, hard cheese.
Rod Baker, content director
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The 2012 Toyota Enviro Outreach project, which started recently at the Klipbokkop Mountain Reserve in the Western Cape and runs until 27 April 2012, will this year address one of the biggest ecological challenges in Africa and globally: the invasion and spread of alien species. 
Volvo has just launched the second of its lifestyle targeted campaigns, the Volvo Big Drive. The cross-media endeavour will see online and real-life merge as South African icons along with members of the public compete in driving challenges across Gauteng and North West; narrated through social media and supported through the line across all channels. 
SHANGHAI: US auto giant Ford said on Thursday (19 April 2012) it would build a US$760-million plant in China's eastern city of Hangzhou, as foreign companies ramp up output in the world's biggest car market. 
ORAGADAM: Germany's Daimler AG opened its first truck manufacturing plant in India on Wednesday (18 April 2012) to grab a share of the fast-growing market and challenge top Indian vehicle makers. 
The Road Freight Association (RFA) has filed papers in the Pretoria High Court in an attempt to join the legal proceedings against the implementation of e-tolling in Gauteng, scheduled for April 30. 
There is no chance that the implementation of the e-tolling system on Gauteng's main highways will be delayed. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) CEO Nazir Alli, who was briefing media on Thursday, said that the system would still kick off on 30 April, despite the opposition from motorist, business, unions and a pending court challenge. 
There has been a significant increase of e-tag registrations in Gauteng, the SA National Roads Agency Ltd said on Wednesday. Most of the registrations had taken place at mall outlets, it said in a statement. 
The cost to administer and enforce the regulations for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), or e-tolling, just added to motorists' burden and a simple fuel levy would have reduced this, say the Cape and Durban chambers of commerce. 
In an open letter to President Jacob Zuma, the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) says it has referred the issue of tolling prices, and how they are calculated, to the Competition Commission. Fedusa is seeking an urgent meeting with the president to discuss the issue. 
