Financial Mail articles from December 2010

Financial Mail archives from December 2010

IT'S OUR TURN TO EAT: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower. BOOK OF THE WEEK. Social poison in the pot.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Richard Steyn BOOK OF THE WEEK Social poison in the pot IT'S OUR TURN TO EAT: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower. By Michela Wrong. 354 pages. Fourth Estate R132 In the hands of as skilful a narrator as Michela Wrong, It's Our Turn...

TELEMASTERS - MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen TELEMASTERS MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS Price: R1,35 Yr Sept T/O (Rm) EBT (Rm) EPS (c) DPS (c) Mkt cap: R56,7m 2010 236,8 12,5 19,36 9 PE: 6,97 2009 231,2 21,5 36,56 8 Sector: -5,78 t s +2,5% -41% -47% 12,5% The group will...

THE UGLY DUCKLING - WESCOAL.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen THE UGLY DUCKLING WESCOAL 1. Cash positive + 2. Revenue up + 3. Share ignored + 4. Dividend paid - 5. Profitable + The coal trader and mining group is firmly on the right track. Revenue rose a handsome 54%, to R334,3m,...

DID YOU HEAR?
December 24, 2010... It is good to know that it is not only our politicians who appear not to think before they speak, such as when national police commissioner Bheki Cele recently said monkeys were coming to our country to kill people in reference to Shrien Dewani,...

YOU COULD WIN.
December 24, 2010... YOU COULD WIN by sending news snippets, wit and gossip to Did You Hear? Published entries win R200. Please include your name, address and telephone number or you will not be eligible. Send entries to:fmdidu@fm.co.za * BDFM employees are not...

A lot to be grateful for.
December 24, 2010... A lot to be grateful for Now government, business and labour need to consider some larger issues, and the missed opportunities In many ways 2010 has turned out a better year than many of us could have expected 12 or even nine months ago. The...

Logic in the madness.
December 24, 2010... Byline: BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI Logic in the madness We end the year in a disorderly sort of way. Things seem a bit unhinged. Screws are loose. It's difficult to see the wood for the trees when wading through what looks like debris. It tends to...

Get the basics right - KuzinaShop 20.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Justice Malala FOOD FOR THOUGHT Get the basics right JUSTICE MALALA ** Kuzina Shop 20, The Firs Corner Biermann and Cradock Avenue, Rosebank. Tel: (011) 880-5000 ***** Madiba! **** Excellent *** Good ** Poor * Mugabe I was taken...

A wish list for 2011.
December 24, 2010... Byline: NAZMEERA MOOLA A wish list for 2011 By this time of year, much of SA is on holiday. (The one exception is the retailers, who wait until after Christmas to take a break.) This is always a good time to ask Santa for presents we can use...

Floating to the top.
December 24, 2010... Byline: CHRIS HART Floating to the top The outlook for SA for 2011 is guardedly more favourable but there are risks that continue to permeate the global financial system. The risks may have some parallels with 2008 but the outcome could be...

Promising clouds.
December 24, 2010... Byline: DUNCAN McLEOD Promising clouds Despite the tough economy, at least one area of business is booming. Data centres, some of them vast structures costing hundreds of millions of rand each, are popping up across the countryside. We have...

Another Week.
December 24, 2010... Another Week AT HOME The Vaal Dam is at 101% capacity and flood gates have been opened, says the department of water affairs. Bloemhof Dam in the Free State is at 97% and the Gariep is close to 100%. Supreme Poultry, the company at the centre...

BUSINESS CONNEXION/UCS. Techies tie the knot.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen BUSINESS CONNEXION/UCS Techies tie the knot It was an open secret that Business Connexion and UCS were talking. Business Connexion, an integrator of information and communication technology systems, and UCS, the retail...

Hold government to account.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Tony Ball Hold government to account Everyone single business person I speak to is disgusted with the way state funds are squandered. From soccer tickets to lengthy suspensions on full pay for government employees, hotel bills to the...

COMMODITY PRICES.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Julie Gough FMGN3Pages COMMODITY PRICES Dec 17 2010 Week ago Year ago 12-month low 12-month high Precious metals ($/oz) Gold 1375,45 1 386,00 1 098,90 1 062,85 1 423,75 Platinum 1 700 1 682 1 423 1 395 1 784 Palladium 740 736 361 358...

THE ACKERMANS. A way of life.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Sasha Planting THE ACKERMANS A way of family life In the 1960s, when friends and acquaintances were leaving the country in droves, Pick n Pay founder Raymond Ackerman and his wife Wendy Ackerman weighed the pros and cons of staying....

THE GORDON & APPELBAUM FAMILY. Real insurance.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Linda Stafford THE GORDON & APPELBAUM FAMILY Real insurance I feel privileged to have money and it's my responsibility to give back to the society in which I prospered. Besides, it gives me enormous pleasure. So says Wendy...

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA. Payment for profit.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Prakash Naidoo CYRIL RAMAPHOSA Payment for profit Shanduka Group chairman Cyril Ramaphosa's corporate and personal philanthropic causes are his social licence for doing business in SA. It's a compassionate response to the fractured...

THE ENTHOVENS. Lifeline for artists.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen THE ENTHOVENS Lifeline for artists It was the death of mining magnate Brett Kebble that spurred the Enthoven family, one of SA's richest, into becoming a leading patron of the arts. The family, which owns Spier Wine...

PHILANTHROPY. Nation of givers.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Prakash Naidoo additional reporting by David Furlonger PHILANTHROPY Nation of givers Once the preserve of the very rich, philanthropy is being redefined by a new generation of givers. SA's wealthy are now among the most generous. Who...

Self-made mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe has become a Father Christmas every year to thousands of children in underprivileged areas.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews MOTSEPE FAMILY Reaching deep Self-made mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe has become a Father Christmas every year to thousands of children in underprivileged areas. This year 15000 children in Tshwane, eThekwini...

THE OPPENHEIMERS. Friends of the veld.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews THE OPPENHEIMERS Friends of the veld De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer demonstrates his passion for conservation by piloting helicopters during the annual wildlife census on the Diamond Route game reserves. The...

Taxing issues for philanthropists.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Prakash Naidoo Taxing issues for philanthropists Generally anyone can make donations of up to R100 000 in total per tax year without incurring donations tax. But any more than this will be taxed at 20%, according to BoE. If the...

BUSINESS OF PHILANTHROPY. A helping hand.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Prakash Naidoo BUSINESS OF PHILANTHROPY A helping hand Philanthropy has become a growth industry. With wealthy donors globally and locally now seeking a more businesslike approach to philanthropy, there is new demand for...

Back page lets FM down.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Keith van der Linde Back page lets FM down The material published in Did You Hear? tarnishes the integrity of the magazine and brings to mind mass-forwarded e-mails written by predominantly male colleagues. Granted, by virtue of being...

ECONOMIC INDICATORS.
December 24, 2010... 29,4 percent y/y In November, the number of company failures dropped by 29,4% to 344. For the first 11 months of 2010, liquidations were 2,2% lower. Finance, insurance, real estate & business services firms accounted for 44% of liquidations....

Consumer inflation.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Razina Munshi Consumer inflation November's consumer price inflation was marginally higher than expected, at 3,6% y/y, from 3,4% previously. A seasonal rise in food & beverage prices and petrol prices accounted for the increase....

AGRICULTURE. Farms fertile soil for HIV.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Shannon Sherry AGRICULTURE Farms fertile soil for HIV Warnings from the agriculture sector that farm production in SA could be severely affected by the high HIV prevalence among farm workers has been supported by a recent survey. ...

MINING. Aurora's aura of failure.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews MINING. Aurora's aura of failure About 5 000 workers at the Grootvlei and Orkney mines will have a bare, unfestive Christmas. The mineworkers are owed millions in wages by Aurora Empowerment Systems, headed by...

BANKS. Opportunities abound.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stafford Thomas BANKS Opportunities abound Big changes are occurring behind the scenes in SA's four big banks as they face up to a need for greater efficiency and the challenges brought about by regulatory reform. In the process...

CALL CENTRES. Making the connection.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stafford Thomas CALL CENTRES Making the connection An initiative to boost SA's competitiveness in the international call centre market, launched by the department of trade & industry (DTI), has been hailed by industry players as a...

CARBON TAX. No pain, no gain.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Lise Pretorius CARBON TAX No pain, no gain SA's transition to a low-carbon economy, while imperative for long-term growth, will not come without costs. The goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 34% by 2020 will require policy...

Denel.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Zweli Mokgata Denel lets the cats out of the bag Denel's sale of a batch of Cheetah C fighter jets is a handy windfall for the financially troubled state-owned arms manufacturer. Denel Aviation sold 12 of the 30 decommissioned...

INFRASTRUCTURE. Pockets of hope.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Razina Munshi INFRASTRUCTURE. Pockets of hope. With the slowdown in SA infrastructure spend, construction companies are looking north WHAT IT MEANS: Africa has a US$31bn funding gap. Construction industry shed 12 000 jobs...

MOBILE BANKING. Getting the model right.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen MOBILE BANKING Getting the model right It's two steps forward and one step back in the process of getting the business model right for cellphone banking. Banks and mobile operators have managed to get consumers to use...

MOTOR INDUSTRY. Alfa's Teutonic future?
December 24, 2010... Byline: David Furlonger MOTOR INDUSTRY Alfa's Teutonic future? Could iconic Italian car brand Alfa Romeo become German? Despite Fiat group CEO Sergio Marchionne's recent suggestion that Alfas could be built by Chrysler in the US, European...

SA MOTOR INDUSTRY. A capacity to mislead.
December 24, 2010... Byline: David Furlonger SA MOTOR INDUSTRY A capacity to mislead Productivity in SA's car assembly industry reached its highest level in four years in the third quarter of this year, industry figures show. Except they don't. The latest...

FREEWORLD COATINGS. Painted into a corner.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Larry Claasen FREEWORLD COATINGS Painted into a corner Time is running out for the board of Freeworld Coatings. It has to make a call on whether it will accept a hostile R1,7bn takeover bid by Japan's Kansai Paint for the coating and...

RETAIL. A world of shopping.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Sasha Planting RETAIL A world of shopping Walmart's offer to acquire 51% of Massmart has put SA in the display case for retailers intent on global expansion. Economic growth in the US and Europe is expected to hover around 3% and 1%...

101 - PRUDENTIAL GUIDELINES.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston What are the prudential guidelines? These are found in regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act. They replaced the prescribed asset regime in 1989 and gave funds a maximum allocation for asset classes. For example...

GIMME. Buyers and cellars.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Kate Thompson GIMME Buyers and cellars SaleWine.co.za is a newcomer in the steady stream of local sales sites that have cropped up recently. This one, as the name indicates, is focused on wine sales and offers consumers discounts of...

MINING. Leaving a bitter taste.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews MINING Leaving a bitter taste WHAT IT MEANS: Pardoe resigns, says ethics were breached Company cites his dwindling attention Amid this month's spate of senior resignations in the mining sector, one stands out as...

Economy in numbers.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Razina Munshi Economy in numbers 17 000 jobs were created in the third quarter of 2010, a 0,2% rise in employment. But 1,2m jobs have been lost since January 2009. 5m new jobs in 10 years is the aim of government's New Growth Path....

OIL PRICE. What's the tipping point?
December 24, 2010... Byline: Nick van der Leek OIL PRICE What's the tipping point? Oil has re-entered the US$90s price range in spite of occasional strengthening of the dollar. The reasons include record-setting winter weather in the northern hemisphere, boosting...

THE PLACE TO BE OR NOT TO BE. Play at being in London.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Yvonne Fontyn THE PLACE TO BE OR NOT TO BE. Play at being in London NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE AT CINEMA NOUVEAU Where: Rosebank Mood:: South Bank Early in 2010, Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank started screening recordings of live...

PROFILE. Back in the public sector.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston PROFILE Back in the public sector It has taken almost nine months to find a successor to Brian Molefe as head of the Public Investment Corp (PIC). But it is a crucial job and government can't be faulted for taking its...

Interview - John Gai Yoh. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. Splitting Sudan.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Amarnath Singh QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Splitting Sudan spoke to John Gai Yoh, head of the Southern Sudan mission in SA, about the south's forthcoming referendum on secession Will the referendum take place as scheduled on January 9? It...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK - JULIAN ASSANGE Wikileaks founder.(Quotation)
December 24, 2010... QUOTE OF THE WEEK The world has a lot of problems that need to be reformed and we only live once. Every person who has some ability to do something about it, if they are a person of good character, has the duty to try and fix the problems in the...

REAL PEOPLE DOING UNREAL THINGS. The last straw.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Janine Stephen REAL PEOPLE DOING UNREAL THINGS The last straw Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins: Marine plastic researchers and activists THEUNREALITYCHECK: Sailed a raft made of 15 000 plastic bottles from Los Angeles to Hawaii ;...

MARITIME TRADE. Listing badly.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Razina Munshi MARITIME TRADE Listing badly International seaborne trade sank by 4,5% to 7,8bnt in 2009, after reaching a record high in 2008, according to the UN Conference on Trade & Development's 2010 review of maritime...

CHRISTMAS SPENDING. Slender stockings.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stafford Thomas CHRISTMAS SPENDING Slender stockings Scrooge would have felt right at home among SA consumers. They appear to be approaching this festive season with a tight-fisted resolve to use their hard-earned cash wisely. ...

Interview - Bhadra Ranchod. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Privileged to have served.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Shannon Sherry WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Privileged to have served Bhadra Ranchod recalls serving as deputy speaker of parliament from 1994 to 1996 as the greatest privilege. Working closely with the new government and speaker Frene...

Money down the drain.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Asaph Chuene Money down the drain South Africans watched helplessly as the National Youth Development Agency, endorsed by the ANC, splashed more than R69m on an anti-imperialist conference. A country like ours cannot justify wasting...

THE AGE OF INSTABILITY - BOOKS. After the meltdown.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Richard Steyn BOOKS After the meltdown THE AGE OF INSTABILITY By David Smith 294 pages Profile Books R190 Subtitled The Global Financial Crisis and What Comes Next, London Sunday Times economics editor David Smith's The Age of...

WHAT IT ALL MEANS - THE ECONOMIST'S GUIDE TO ECONOMIC INDICATORS.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Richard Steyn WHAT IT ALL MEANS THE ECONOMIST'S GUIDE TO ECONOMIC INDICATORS Making Sense of Economics 244 pages Profile Books R210 The seventh edition of The Economist's Guide to Economic Indicators Making Sense of Economics explains...

CINEMA. The two moms.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Peter Wilhelm CINEMA The two moms A terrific, touching film about marriage, whether you're straight or gay THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Directed by Lisa Cholodenko Lead roles: Julianne Moore Annette Bening Mark Ruffalo Mia Wasikowska Josh...

CRICKET. Daily dose of excitement.
December 24, 2010... Byline: David Williams CRICKET Daily dose of excitement In no other game can apparent certainties be so utterly undermined so quickly. This is the absorbing pleasure of test cricket a pleasure that simply does not exist in the limited-overs...

HOTEL CAPE. Luxury in the labyrinth.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Claire Bisseker HOTEL CAPE Luxury in the labyrinth If it's grand style and utter seclusion you're after, can point you in the right direction GRAND DEDALE COUNTRY HOUSE. Tel: (021) 873-4089. Go to: www.granddedale.com In the 1940s,...

MOTORING BMW's X-factor.
December 24, 2010... Byline: David Furlonger MOTORING BMW's X-factor WHAT IT COSTS: xDrive20d: R465 203 xDrive35i: R605 182 Can there be anything more annoying in the game-viewing world than arriving at a camp and being told by departing guests about the...

HEALTH. Bend to feel better.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Yvonne Fontyn HEALTH Bend to feel better The rewards of yoga can be a fitter, more toned body and a calmer and more centred mind. reports MORE INFO: To find a teacher go to: www.ytf.co.za Yvonne Pawlowski's School of Yoga: (011)...

PHARMA COMPANIES. A dose of competition.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Xolile Bhengu PHARMA COMPANIES A dose of competition Adcock Ingram's revenue will be dented by its failure to secure as large a share of SA health care's antiretroviral (ARV) tender as it had anticipated. But analysts say the setback...

Diamond - Emerging markets; Dog - Labour laws.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Jamie Carr DIAMONDS & DOGS 's picks of the week Diamond Emerging markets Now that the festive season is upon us, we must all indulge in traditional pursuits such as single-handedly driving a consumer-led retail recovery, sluicing...

GOLD. Strong gains.
December 24, 2010... GOLD Strong gains The price of gold has experienced some wild swings, with gold futures down 1% during the past week. It remains supported by strong investment demand, however. Data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission shows that net...

COAL. Not burning.
December 24, 2010... COAL Not burning The Richards Bay FOB coal market is quiet as the seasonal lull kicks in with producers and consumers trimming positions and locking in profits (or losses) as the end of the calendar year approaches. The physical market remains...

Crisis watch.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Andrew McNulty Crisis watch Growth may be improving, but the prospects for young people entering the job market are bleak in many countries. Youth unemployment is often much higher than the overall national or regional rates and is...

OUTLOOK FOR 2011. Tough act to follow.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston OUTLOOK FOR 2011 Tough act to follow Modest growth is the consensus among fund managers WHAT IT MEANS: GDP growth expected to be 3,5% in 2011. No asset class will pay as much as 2010 It was not too difficult for...

IDECO - ALT-X.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Zweli Mokgata IDECO ALT-X Price: 20c Yr Aug T/O (Rm) EBT (Rm) EPS (c) DPS (c) Mkt cap: R40,4m 2010 126,8 (5,9) (3,41) PE: -5,9 2009 83,1 (16,8) (5,98) Sector: -54,78 t s +52,6% The biometric technology market is experiencing a rise in...

When it comes to offering choice, the investment management industry deserves applause. But that much choice can while choice may be great it is also prone to leave many investors bewildered.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stafford Thomas PERSONAL FINANCE 3 Beware of advisers' fees When it comes to offering choice, the investment management industry deserves applause. But that much choice can leave many investors bewildered. This is no truer than in...

JSE. Banking potential.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Garth Mackenzie JSE Banking potential Banking stocks have spent most of 2010 trading sideways. This is a reflection of the generally difficult conditions that banks have had to navigate during the year. The JSE banks index chart is...

JSE LISTINGS Year of mixed reviews.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews JSE LISTINGS Year of mixed reviews Two commodities stood out in the JSE's new mining listings this year: platinum and coal. But though pre-listing investors looked more benignly on those minerals than others like...

RMB HOLDINGS/FIRSTRAND. Getting back in focus.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston RMB HOLDINGS/FIRSTRAND Getting back in focus FirstRand has backed some highly successful start-ups. Life and health insurer Discovery unbundled in November 2007 has been the most successful of these and Outsurance, a...

PERSONAL FINANCE 1. Park it carefully.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Laurie Wild PERSONAL FINANCE 1 Park it carefully SA investors face some tough decisions for 2011. They need to carefully consider the current economic conditions and review their asset allocation for the year ahead. Some of the key...

PERSONAL FINANCE 2. How to spend your bonus.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Warren Ingram PERSONAL FINANCE 2 How to spend your bonus For those fortunate enough to receive a bonus, you are more than likely going to be confronted with a dilemma. Do you rush out and buy the new iPad, HD TV or some other must...

AH-VEST - FOOD PRODUCTS.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston AH-VEST FOOD PRODUCTS Price: 12c 6m Sep T/O (Rbn) EBT (Rm) EPS (c) DPS (c) Mkt cap: R12,2m 2010 42,8 1,21 1,19 PE: 4,9 2009 38,0 (0,09) (0,09) Sector: 15,1 t s +13% n/a n/a n/a Formerly known as All Joy, AH-Vest is...

LABAT AFRICA - VENTURE CAPITAL MARKET.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Sasha Planting LABAT AFRICA VENTURE CAPITAL MARKET Price: 70c 6m Aug T/O (Rm) EBT (Rm) EPS (c) DPS (c) Mkt cap: R138m 2010 13,3 (3,9) (1,5) PE: -8,05 2009 13,4 (12,1) (6,2) Sector: -6,33 t s -0,7% Closing the silicon chip plant,...

MERCHANT & INDUST PROPS - REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston MERCHANT & INDUST PROPS REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS Price: 301c Yr Sep T/O (Rm) EBT (Rm) EPS (c) DPS (c) Mkt cap: R52,3m 2010 22,4 9,08 35,7 20,0 PE: 11,8 2009 21,4 4,84 17,0 14,0 Sector: 11,9 t s +4,7% +88% +110% +43%...

Interview - Martin Woodhams, Barclays Capital MD . 9 QUESTIONS FOR ...
December 24, 2010... Byline: Charlotte Mathews Martin Woodhams, Barclays Capital MD Has there been a change in the way funds have been investing in commodities since the financial crisis? No, before and after the financial crisis the behaviour has been identical....

Investor's Notebook.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Stephen Cranston Investor's Notebook The financial sector charter, like a cat, seems to have nine lives. Everyone in banking, life insurance and fund management has got used to reporting on the DTI codes on empowerment. Once they have...

Pine's proper pay.
December 24, 2010... Byline: Joel Wolpert Pine's proper pay In her Cover Story on executive pay (December 17), Carol Paton refers to the lowest-paid worker at Mvelaphanda's Northam Platinum mine earning 1 278 times less than the CEO. This incorrect statistical...

Did you hear?
December 17, 2010... As US president Barack Obama showed, Twitter is a great way to communicate with and rally your supporters. Some SA politicians have joined in, with Helen Zille a regular tweeter. Public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has also been using this...

Did you hear? Competition.
December 17, 2010... YOU COULD WIN by sending news snippets, wit and gossip to Did You Hear? Published entries win R200. Please include your name, address and telephone number or you will not be eligible. Send entries to:fmdidu@fm.co.za * BDFM employees are not...

Shift signals to get Transnet on track.
December 17, 2010... Shift signals to get Transnet on track Malusi Gigaba is new to the ministry of public enterprises, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that in his announcement on the new Transnet board, he unwittingly revealed the essence of the chronic governance...

The heat is on for new climate deal.
December 17, 2010... The heat is on for new climate deal The Cancun Agreement on climate change might have been applauded by the 190 countries attending the conference in Mexico as a step in the right direction. But it has also been attacked for not going far enough...

A new ball game.
December 17, 2010... Byline: BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI A new ball game I often wonder why we keep bothering about Barack Obama. He is, after all, president of the US. Not of the world, or even of Africa, though he looks like some of us. But worry we do. We hang onto his...