Publications
Partners
Cape Town – The Zimbabwean head of state, Robert Mugabe, was the main focus this week as the aging leader took a tough stance on foreign business in his first visit to South Africa in 20 years and thanked the country for “giving Zimbabweans work”.
Fin24 commentators also took out their frustration on Eskom as the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) interpreted as a declaration of war Eskom's move to lock its members out of the Medupi power plant. Meanwhile Eskom has also decided to pull the plug on the top 20 defaulting municipalities raising the ire at the bottom of Fin24’s articles.
“Are you paying your domestic enough?” was a question which elicited a wide response ranging from frustration and consternation to empathy.
We've selected the second weekly dose of top ten Fin24 user comments on these and other breaking news developments this week as part of our stated objective to encourage healthy debate.
Top ten users comments on:
Thank you for giving Zimbabweans work - Mugabe:
1. Nico Steyn - We thank you for providing us with a workforce that is honest, reliable and motivated. I estimate Zimbabweans and Malawians amongst the best employees in terms of loyalty and honesty. My business partner is Zimbabwean, and in Zim he would be a pauper. He only employs Zimbabweans. I think he is right as we have no problems with staff - READ STORY
Mugabe defends majority ownership in foreign firms:
2. Dane Cresswell - Plenty of other places on the planet to invest where certainty of tenure exists. You are the laughing stock of this planet as you have reduced Rhodesia/Zimbabwe from what it was in 1981, to an economy smaller than Durban. This has got to go down as being a success story in your eyes but in mine it is a travesty of justice - READ STORY
Burning tyres and intimidation at Medupi:
3. Heathwaymasters - Enough is enough. Medupi should be declared a strategic economic asset, and the army should be brought in to prevent any intimidation. Take off the velvet gloves. Electricity supply requirements are affecting the whole SA economy. Don't let these few semi illiterates hold the country to ransom. Those fired were done so for a legitimate reason. Their miserable numbers should not influence the ANC’s precious powerbase - READ STORY
Are you paying your domestic worker enough?:
4. Tiaan Van der Berg - I treat and pay our domestic worker the same as I do with all my staff at my business. She has been working for us for 15 years. She is part of the family. We have been blessed with a good life and a successful business. I therefore do not try to establish how little I can pay her but am focused on paying her a fair salary with the intention of making her life easy as well. She assisted in raising my kids. I assist in putting her kids through school and college. I trust her with my property and with my life. I think it is a moral sin and one that we will be judged on if we live in opulence and let those who work for us live beneath the bread line - READ STORY
5. Hennie de Ruyter - My boss has never adjusted my salary according to the number of dependents I have. No company does that. There are single people earning more than I do. And so it should be. You are paid according to your qualification and the responsibility you carry - READ STORY
State departments pour millions into New Age:
6. Snosrap - I fly regularly from Cape Town to Johannesburg. A free copy in business class is my only exposure to the New Age. I make a point of flipping through the pages in order to look for ANY advertising that does not come from either the New Age, Gupta controlled companies, the government departments and the SOE's. To this day I think I have seen no more than two or three ever and more often than not I see none at all. This company is being kept afloat by the Guptas and the government - READ STORY
Zuma: It's time for economic freedom:
7. Konstabel Koekemoer - And again Zuma uses the 3% black ownership of the JSE argument which is totally misleading as he is trying to imply that 97% of the JSE is in white hands. 3% represents the percentage directly owned by black individuals but if you add black ownership through empowerment schemes, pension funds, unit trusts and other investment vehicles this figure is actually over 23% which is more than the white ownership! And the biggest percentage ownership in the JSE is actually foreign investors. What SA needs is rapid economic growth and job creation so that more black South Africans have disposable income to buy shares - READ MORE
Cosatu warns unions attending Vavi address:
8. Tebogo Bulane - I respect comrade [Zwelinzima] Vavi, the workers vampire Dlamini and Tshalintshali will be left with a shell of Cosatu, Vavi and Irvin must lead us to the TRUE revolution and it will be a much better idea if they take the EFF on board - READ MORE
Eskom to pull plug on top 20 defaulting municipalities:
9. Dianne Miller - I am one of those people on the list. I paid all my bills and have no idea why I am being punished when my municipality stole money and didn't pay it's bills. I am a compliant customer. Why am I being punished? Tell me one thing, how in God's name does this help municipalities pay their debts [by switching off power to the people who pay them?] - READ MORE
10. Theo Rebecca Geldenhuys - I'm on pre-paid, so I have already paid for my "service" in advance. if my power gets cut due to non-payment from my "service provider" ESKOM that is clearly breach of contract and legal action should be the next option - READ MORE
Disclaimer: All letters and comments published in MyFin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.
* Something finance related on your mind? Send it to us and you could get published.
