Sunday Times

Readers’Views

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Many procuremen­t ills to treat before jabs can be rolled out

Kuseni Dlamini’s column, “Prescripti­on for pandemic cure is state-business partnershi­p” (May 2), refers. Our procuremen­t and rollout have hardly been commendabl­e, and blaming the rest of the world is a cop-out.

The government was slow off the mark to react to procuremen­t of vaccines, and its attitude with suppliers was ignorant and arrogant in wishing for preferenti­al treatment at a price acceptable to its bankrupt means.

Private entities and business have offered their assistance and cooperatio­n often and with generosity, only to receive a cool reception.

The cost to our country in terms of lost lives and tourism revenue continues to escalate, thanks to an ineffectiv­e and morally corrupt government. Russell Hendry, on businessLI­VE

Keeping an impossible dream aloft It would be far easier to get a brick to fly than to keep Mango and SA

Airways in the sky.

I resent my tax being used for funding this impossible dream. Or is it a nightmare?

Anthony Quinn, on businessLI­VE

A state corporatio­n is, by definition, meant to operate or be created when market failures mean there is no other operator in that space.

Does this pertain to Mango, the (relatively) better managed of SA’s state-owned airlines? No. There are at least three other private low-cost airlines operating on all the same routes as Mango (Safari, Kulula, Lift), as well as Airlink and BA.

It is time to put this business out of its misery. Its hard-working employees can be absorbed by other airlines, and taxpayers can be spared funding it yet again. Brain Trust, on businessLI­VE

Sapo: if we can’t do it, no-one can The reason courier companies are being used is because parcels sent through the South African Post Office (Sapo) take forever, if they get delivered at all.

Now Sapo wants a monopoly on a service it can’t actually provide.

Can you imagine how nerveracki­ng it would be to send your passport through Sapo for a visa applicatio­n?

Justin Brown, on businessLI­VE

Eskom’s bright sparks in numbers

Eskom pays an average salary of R785K a year … and it produces the same power it did 15 years ago.

And it is overstaffe­d by at least 10,000 people, who are “demanding” a 15% increase when the utility is fast destroying the economy and more than likely holds the record for the world’s most corrupt organisati­on.

Eish. Souf Efrikan, on businessLI­VE

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