5 things to know right now in South Africa
·26 Jan 2016
Need to catch up on the biggest news stories of the day? Here’s the BusinessTech wrap:
- Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has released a damning letter showing how government aims to siphon off state funds for the ANC’s election purposes. The premier says the practice has become so commonplace that senior officials put out official requests for it.
- Meanwhile, Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister David van Rooyen says municipalities must prepare to tighten their belts, as state funds are running thin thanks to government plugging the many holes in state-owned companies amid a slowing economy.
- Racism remains a hot topic in 2016, and former radio host Gareth Cliff is currently duking it out in court against M-net, who he claims fired him unfairly from his Idols gig for apparent racism. M-Net is sticking to its guns, saying that it wants nothing to do with him anymore.
- Parliament has opened discussions about the regulation of over-the-top (OTT) services such as WhatsApp and Facebook in South Africa. MTN and Vodacom are calling for regulation, for fear of becoming “dumb pipes” – while other industry players, like Cell C, are against any moves to stifle their operation in the country.
- Sticking with telecoms, MTN still faces heavy fines in Nigeria – and word from the Nigerian government is that MTN should drop its court challenge against the fines if it wants to foster a settlement with the country.
And in other news: Tolling (and soon tax abuse) opposition group, Outa says that e-toll compliance in Gauteng has hit only 9% – using the figure as irrefutable proof that the system has failed. “You can continue tolling, but no one is paying. Take it or leave it.”
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