GPSA Weekly Views

Amazing how the law works in this country - just got a "notification" of a speedfine on 11 November 2004 somewhere in the Cape Province. I am aware of another from March this year which I was told not to worry about for at least another year!

I have two issues with things like this - if you do get pulled over in a roadblock, you have major problems. These guys can now print a warrant of arrest on the spot and whether you're aware of a so-called offense or not, you'll get arrested on the spot. With the proliferation of fake license plates on similar cars you are presumed guilty, full stop. Second issue is the fact that if I did receive the summons, speedfine, notice (call it what you like), I would've had to travel all the way back to Colenso or wherever this alleged offense happened to go pay the fine. At the end of the day, a hundred and fifty Rand fine would've cost me the same just on tollgate fees.

Okay, with that out of the way - according to the UN investigation into the food for oil saga it turns out that a number of South African companies were involved. One of these belong to Tokyo Sexwale with so-called dividends paid in excess of $400 thousand. Of course all these claims are disputed in the strongest terms. We'll see if and how these cases will get resolved. African countries being well-known in general for bribery and corruption, this does not bode well for investor confidence.

It's the time of the year again when thousands of young aspirant scholars enter the workplace. A three year study by the University of Natal uncovered some startling facts during the first part of the study. 16 to 17 year old youths have big aspirations but cited no finances in order to make their dreams come true. Unemployment grew from 45% to 91% between 1995 and 2002 amongst African youth.

In contrast most white students were positive about their futures citing studying overseas and working there. Face it, in South Africa there's no requirement for white "workers". Jo'burg kids were more upbeat about the future. The more affluent black kids mostly want to study overseas and anticipate making lots of money as well as earning Pounds.

Isn't it time government start doing something constructive about our youth instead of stuffing around with the curriculum and talking too much? Most black kids are dedicated pupils, in spite of lacking the resources others might have at their disposal. Most schools don't have the basics such as electricity, never mind computer centers. Telkom aided in this by out-pricing bandwidth to such an extend that very few citizens can afford it, never mind schools.

It is no use lowering university entry qualifications if these kids cannot afford it. Education happens at home and at school. The concept of "the world's your oyster" or "the sky is the limit" need to be fostered from a very young age. Programs by the education department must be put in place to assist bright young kids to guarantee further education. Without that we cannot sustain economic growth or secure prosperity.

The sooner we can get the new generation of kids accustomed to the idea of a South Africa for all with active participation from government, the better our future.

Weekly View
	3 November 2005
Amazing how the law works in this country - just got a "notification" of a speedfine on 11 November 2004 somewhere in the Cape Province. I am aware of another from March this year which I was told not to worry about for at least another year! I have two issues with things like this - if you do get pulled over in a roadblock, you have major problems. These guys can now print a warrant of arrest on the spot and whether you're aware of a so-called offense or not, you'll get arrested on the spot. With the proliferation of fake license plates on similar cars you are presumed guilty, full stop. Second issue is the fact that if I did receive the summons, speedfine, notice (call it what you like), I would've had to travel all the way back to Colenso or wherever this alleged offense happened to go pay the fine. At the end of the day, a hundred and fifty Rand fine would've cost me the same just on tollgate fees. Okay, with that out of the way - according to the UN investigation into the food for oil saga it turns out that a number of South African companies were involved. One of these belong to Tokyo Sexwale with so-called dividends paid in excess of $400 thousand. Of course all these claims are disputed in the strongest terms. We'll see if and how these cases will get resolved. African countries being well-known in general for bribery and corruption, this does not bode well for investor confidence. It's the time of the year again when thousands of young aspirant scholars enter the workplace. A three year study by the University of Natal uncovered some startling facts during the first part of the study. 16 to 17 year old youths have big aspirations but cited no finances in order to make their dreams come true. Unemployment grew from 45% to 91% between 1995 and 2002 amongst African youth. In contrast most white students were positive about their futures citing studying overseas and working there. Face it, in South Africa there's no requirement for white "workers". Jo'burg kids were more upbeat about the future. The more affluent black kids mostly want to study overseas and anticipate making lots of money as well as earning Pounds. Isn't it time government start doing something constructive about our youth instead of stuffing around with the curriculum and talking too much? Most black kids are dedicated pupils, in spite of lacking the resources others might have at their disposal. Most schools don't have the basics such as electricity, never mind computer centers. Telkom aided in this by out-pricing bandwidth to such an extend that very few citizens can afford it, never mind schools. It is no use lowering university entry qualifications if these kids cannot afford it. Education happens at home and at school. The concept of "the world's your oyster" or "the sky is the limit" need to be fostered from a very young age. Programs by the education department must be put in place to assist bright young kids to guarantee further education. Without that we cannot sustain economic growth or secure prosperity. The sooner we can get the new generation of kids accustomed to the idea of a South Africa for all with active participation from government, the better our future.	Past Views Current Joke Past jokes Gallery Links Current Exchange Rate Daily News Headlines Articles
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