It's going to be a good festive season for Jelly Beanz after they were handed a cheque for R500,000 by Bernhard Maier, a member of Porsche's executive board. It's the
second sizeable donation by Porsche in as many years.
On the agriculture front,
farmers and unions have been urged to negotiate in good faith. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has urged representatives of Agri-SA and unions to negotiate in good faith for the minimum wage demand for farmworkers. That's all very well, but in the meantime perhaps she can also urge farmworkers to remain peaceful and also not damage crops and equipment.
Come fly with me... if you can afford it!
IATA says airlines will carry 3,6bn passengers by 2016 - a rise of at least 28% in the coming years to hit 3.6 billion in 2016, with China accounting for nearly one-in-four new travellers. Keeping ticket prices reasonable would go some way towards ensuring that that prediction comes true.
Don't come fly with me...
Budgets and mechanical setbacks are hurting SANDF, which is buckling under the strain of crippling budget and mechanical setbacks. We have submarines up on blocks and Gripen fighters flying only a tiny portion of the time they should be flying. So we have all these shiny new weapons platforms... but we can't afford to run them. Brilliant!
Equally brilliant, but in a good way, is our tame motoring editor, Henrie Geyser, who waxes lyrical on the new Honda CR-V, which he reckons has
added market traction. And a lot of attractions... in action, and even when not in action.
Rod Baker: Content Director
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ROME, ITALY: Italian private equity fund Investindustrial has bought a 37.5% stake in British car manufacturer Aston Martin for £150m, the companies said in a joint statement on Friday (7 December). 
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has appointed Satyanarayana Banda (Satya) as the new plant manager of the Struandale Engine Plant. He replaces Wallace Yearwood who has been appointed as plant manager of the new Sanand Engine Plant in India. 
General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has announced the appointment of John Astbury to the position of GMSA Vice President Global Purchasing and Supply Chain (GPSC). John Astbury takes over from Evan Dold, currently GMSA Vice President GPSC, who will retire after 20 years of dedicated service to the company. 
ROSSLYN: Following the company's announcement of intent to introduce a third production shift in February this year, BMW South Africa's Rosslyn production facility is now officially a 24-hour a day operation. 
Rolex has announced it will become a major long-term partner of Formula 1 from 2013, as Official Timekeeper and Official Timepiece, keeping up its tradition of fast cars and high-end brands. In this capacity, it will give the time in different locations during each Grand Prix. The logo will also be positioned around the circuit and at several corners during Formula 1 races and its presence will develop over the coming seasons. 
New vehicle sales increased to 7.3% year-on-year (y/y) in November to 53‚134 units after rising by 10.5% y/y in October to 57‚845 units‚ according to the latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) data. 
FRANKFURT, GERMANY: German car manufacturer Daimler said on Wednesday (5 December) that its Mercedes-Benz division is on target for its best-ever year in 2012 after achieving record sales in November. 
