Nationalisation talk blamed on youth's eagerness
July 28, 2009
President Jacob Zuma at the weekend offered a possible explanation for how the nationalisation of mines had re-emerged as a point of discussion.
But first he reiterated the ANC's, and hence the government's, stance on the nationalisation of mines: it is not party policy. And if it were to become policy it would be a matter that was discussed within the organisation at a provincial and national level before being considered at the ANC's national policy conference.
"Once we have gone through a process we call it policy. Just to appreciate at what point it becomes policy so we don't get excited and start discussing it (nationalisation) as a matter when it is a non-matter," said Zuma, who was speaking at a dinner hosted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The nationalisation of mines became a talking point after ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema called for such a move and Cosatu backed his stance.
Zuma said: "No individual in the ANC can determine policy. We don't have someone waking up in the morning with a brainwave, who then articulates it and it becomes policy. But having said that, the ANC is an open organisation. It does not stifle debate."
So why then did this idea resurface? Zuma offered diners an explanation. In the past few years countries that have vociferously opposed nationalisation have bailed out more than one company, in some cases bringing them under state control.
To mention just a few: General Motors, in which the US Treasury now has a 60 percent stake; Northern Rock, the British lender, which was taken under state ownership in February last year; and American International Group, which the US government bailed out by taking an 80 percent stake in the insurance giant.
Zuma said the youngster who brought nationalisation up recently might have thought "if they can do it, why can't we". Such things "can encourage a young man who thinks energetically" to consider these things, Zuma said, seemingly bemused.
Fright or flight
Until last year foreign airlines bringing tourists to this country found it hard to obtain government permission to put on as many flights as they wanted.
This applied particularly to British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic Airways, whose applications to increase their services to this country in boom times for tourism were never granted in full - although the UK has always been South Africa's biggest source market for tourism.
The reason for this was to protect SAA's market share. This was particularly so when Valli Moosa was the minister for environmental affairs and tourism and was persuaded by the then chief executive of SAA that this policy could be used as a lever to make BA give up some of its arrival and departure slots at London's Heathrow airport to SAA.
The minister's decision was supported by other cabinet members who believed the UK government would put pressure on BA to give up the slots, or on the airports company to hand them over, in the interests of encouraging trade relations between our countries. But it didn't happen.
Virgin gave up trying to put on more flights here, turning its attention instead to the Indian market. When the policy was finally relaxed last year, BA, after years of frustration, decided to go ahead with putting on more flights. This was something it would not normally have done in a time of recession, but it was preparing for the boost in tourism expected from the 2010 soccer World Cup.
The response from UK tour operators and travel agents specialising in Africa in a survey by trade publishers Now Media rated air access at better prices as the most important factor in increasing demand. It came well ahead of the need to reduce crime, listed by their colleagues in Germany and the rest of Europe as the most important factor, although this was only fourth in the British list. Better-priced air access came fourth in the list from Germany and third in the lists from the rest of Europe and from North America.
Back to basics
The recession has hit home across the world in ways that range from the heartbreaking to the trivial.
In the US, more Americans are swapping their homes for motels. In Germany dogs are queuing up at a Berlin soup kitchen specifically for pets. And in Australia, anybody who wanted to get their hands on a tropical island might, at a stretch, be able to afford it.
In South Africa, it took longer for the recession to bite than in other parts of the world, but bidorbuy, South Africa's largest online auction site, now reports that former top search terms seeking out the latest gadgets and brands have made way for more mundane and practical items.
The top search items, says bidorbuy, used to read "like an exemplary shopping list of a well-to-do consumerist". They used to include the most expensive gems, the most wanted watch brands, the latest techno gadgets, what the website itself labelled "unnecessary toys".
But a few weeks ago, the first cracks started to show when "cars" made it to the top of the wanted list. "Previously, only the unmistakably status symbol makes of cars had a chance to make it among the top ten," says bidorbuy.
And last week, the word "furniture" pushed its way to the number 10 spot. This week, the term "TV" came in at number eight. "Yes, that's correct: just 'TV'. Not LCD, not HD, not plasma, not wide screen. Just plain old TV," says bidorbuy.
The findings seem to confirm advice doled out on the website ehow.com, which offers guidance on making money on eBay, the grandmother of discount e-shopping websites. It suggests focusing on the essentials, rather than luxury items, giving customers a little extra like a free gift, and focusing on return customers.
Edited by Peter DeIonno. With contributions from Samantha Enslin-Payne, Audrey D'Angelo and Ingi Salgado
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