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Cape Town - In case you missed it, here is a roundup of Wednesday's top 5 reads on Fin24:
Zuma under fire as unions turn up heat on corruption
South Africa’s biggest labour union Cosatu urged workers to strike on Wednesday to protest against what it called “the cancer of corruption” spreading among business and government leaders and threatening the nation’s democracy under President Jacob Zuma.
The action is the boldest step yet by Cosatu to pile pressure on Zuma, whom it helped to win control of the ruling ANC in 2007 and then broke with after he fired Pravin Gordhan as finance minister in March.
READ: Zuma under fire as unions turn up heat on corruption
Economist Mike Schüssler told Fin24 on Wednesday that short one or two day strikes do not leave lasting damage, and this particular anti-corruption strike should be supported.
"I support this stay away and encourage others to point out our similarities in the fight against crime. The fight against corruption is something that unites South Africans from all walks of life or all levels of the workforce so to speak," he told Fin24.
READ: Cosatu strike: A noble cause uniting SA - economist
Retract KPMG 'rogue unit' report in full
Former SA Revenue Service (SARS) group executive Johann van Loggerenberg has called on KPMG South Africa to “immediately” withdraw the totality of its controversial ‘rogue unit’ report, not just the conclusions and findings.
This is the first time he has publically addressed the report since KPMG SA retracted its conclusions and findings earlier this month, following an internal investigation.
READ: Retract KPMG 'rogue unit' report in full, insists Van Loggerenberg
SAA's R1.8bn Saturday debt deadline nears
Cabinet is deliberating on how to save state-owned South African Airways (SAA) from its latest cash crisis, after at least one creditor insisted it be paid by Saturday.
The Treasury's director general Dondo Mogajane said cabinet would offer possible solutions after the meeting.
SAA has to pay back Citibank R1.8bn by Saturday September 30 as part of its debt obligations. As of Wednesday, there were no indications that the US-based bank would grant the airline a reprieve.
READ: SAA's R1.8bn Saturday debt deadline nears
Twitter to expand character limit in bid to boost growth
Twitter, struggling to attract new users, will lift its 140-character limit on tweets in an experiment with a small group that may expand to the entire social media platform.
The test announced Tuesday will let users send tweets with as many as 280 characters. Lengthening the character limit may result in more engaging conversation on the platform, helping its bid to turn itself into a destination for live events and discussion.
Reaction on Twitter to the news was swift, with users making use of the micro-blogging service's ability to give near-instant feedback for a bit of fun.
READ: Twitter to expand character limit in bid to boost growth
Corruption, political turmoil hit SA competitiveness
Corruption was cited as one of the biggest obstacles in creating a competitive business environment in South Africa, as the country dropped 14 places in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Competitiveness Index.
The index, released on Wednesday, said South Africa’s economy was at a standstill.
South Africa’s overall ranking now sits at 61 out of 137 countries, its worst ranking since 2007.
READ: Corruption, political turmoil hit SA's competitiveness
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