#WhitePrivilege

Facing the grim facts of poverty Only the right policies can change the wildly unequal path which South Africa finds itself treading WHAT a crying shame that another Freedom Day has come and gone, and apart from the obligatory political speeches, has passed by with little fuss and fanfare. BLACKS and coloured in South Africa are special groups. They don't have the same resources as whites and Indians (remember Pravin Gordhan) to protect or care for themselves, even 23 years after independence. That is partly why there is now the movement for radical social and economic transformation. Though an average black or coloured person in South Africa may not be the worst in Africa, the disparity between the country's wealth and the conditions for most of the blacks and coloureds are unparalleled. Sadly, the government has not lived up to its obligations. South Africa, with its cherished image of a "rainbow nation" after a miraculous ...

Whatever the name you give it, we all seem to agree that something urgent, big and more inclusive needs to be done to address these issues ... Something must give. We must not be frightened off by demands for radical change. ' F INANCE Minister Malusi Gigaba will get a chance to show his mettle when he delivers his medium-term budget in October," says Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago. "A life of a finance minister is measured by how many budgets you have tabled. The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement is coming in October. The minister will then be able to demonstrate in that statement that he is not only able to run Treasury, but also to get the entire government behind responsible and responsive fiscal policy." Much of the spotlight at the WEF summit - held at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre - was on the new minister, who was appointed under controversial circumstances in President Jacob Zuma's midnight Cabin...

Six spaza shops: and that's change? No party for BEE as Pick n Pay reaches 50 THIS week, Pick n Pay celebrated its 50th anniversary with the release of a stellar set of annual results. Notwithstanding the macroeconomic headwinds faced by its customer across the continent, the group was able to generate just under R80-billion of revenue and deliver 18% growth in headline earnings. In the midst of this outstanding financial performance for its shareholders, it was difficult to find similar progress on transformation.   The South African retail industry has for decades been criticized for its slow pace in transformation, especially at ownership level. The reality is that retail giants do not believe they need to have black shareholders. Their reasoning is simple; nothing compels them to. They do very little, if any, government business and besides, every South African whether in Sandton or Soweto is forced to buy from them because they are everywhere you look and, more of...