Readers’Views
Try mining in a country in a dream state, disconnected from reality
News that mining companies are prepared to increase their investment in projects in SA by 84% if the government tackles the dysfunction plaguing the processing of mining permits and approvals for selfgeneration projects, as well as constraints facing the railways and ports, refers.
This country is stuck in some kind of weird dream state that is totally disconnected from reality.
There will be no mining industry in SA to speak of if there is no power available to power it. Our economy actually runs the risk of recession due to lack of power availability.
Eskom is literally collapsing before our eyes, and the government looks to be moving at a snail’s pace to reform the industry. — Poo Bear on BusinessLIVE One senses yet another “planning” session or committee instead of implementation.
If the government were a company, any decent board would have fired the lot for shoddy performance. But the bad apples just get moved. — Peter Nel on BusinessLIVE
Union power games unreasonable
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA’s decision to join other workers, including public servants, in demanding above-inflation wage increases refers.
It seems this is not about fair wages but rather about ideology and power games from the unions. The demands are much too far above inflation to be reasonable.
If the Sibanye situation is anything to go by, the workers will strike until they have lost more in wages than they could ever make up for even if they do eventually get their desired increase. — Mr Speedy on BusinessLIVE
Political will and cable theft
The only reason cable theft continues to be such a pervasive problem is due to a lack of political will to deal with it.
Adding a couple of trace elements in a fixed proportion into the copper used for the cabling would allow it to be identified even in melted-down ingot form.
Add to this legislation making the possession of such copper in itself illegal, with high minimum mandatory jail sentences and a specialist unit of the police targeting this crime, and it would decrease dramatically as “demand” dried up. —