Corruption is to be dealt a telling blow with the launch on Thursday of an autonomous watchdog that will enable victims of graft and ordinary citizens to make reports that will be swiftly attended to by independent professionals.
Corruption Watch is supported and financed by some corporate foundations and companies including Aveng, Ernst & Young and the Industrial Development Corporation. It will have its own staff, including lawyers, auditors and accountants as case officers. Read more about Corruption busters ready to rumble
Standard Bank Group, Africa’s largest lender, lent R75 billion to its South African personal and business customers in 2011, nearly 50% more than the previous year. Read more about Standard Bank loans up 50%
Investec has acquired Irish securities group NCB, the South African financial group said on Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dublin-based NCB, which employs 120 people, has around €1.3bn of private client funds under management. “The NCB business will complement our successful capital markets business in Ireland and is consistent with the group’s overall objective to expand its fee-based and capital-light activities,” Michael Cullen, CEO of Investec Ireland, said in a statement. Read more about Investec buys Ireland’s NCB
A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has ordered Vodacom Group to pay at least U$21m in unpaid fees to a former consultant, Business Day newspaper said on Friday. Read more about Vodacom to pay up
The rand steadied against the dollar on Friday with potential for further gains in the next few days, but the euro-zone debt crisis still poses risk for the currency. Read more about Rand may hit R7 mark
The financial year ending July 31 2011 was a challenging and eventful year for Agra. Not only did this important role player in agriculture celebrate its 13th year of existence in Namibia in this year, but continued its growth to a turnover of N$1.8 billion for the group.
This is 17.7% higher than the previous financial year. Gross profit for the group increased from N$145.8 million in 2010 to N$171.3 million, an increase of 17.5%.
The IJG Business Climate Index ended 2011 by inching upwards by 0.8 basis points in December – the seventh month of consecutive rises in the index. Read more about Business climate improved
Newly crowned Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka believes women’s tennis is in for a fascinating 12 months as a new generation challenges the supremacy of the established stars. Read more about GENERATION NEXT for women
Paulus “The Hitman” Moses will now be fighting for the full WBO lightweight title and not the Interim WBO lightweight title after his opponent Ricky Burns was confirmed as the WBO’s new lightweight world champion.
Burns became the full champion after the former WBO champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico moved up to the welterweight division.
Moses is scheduled to fight Burns on March 10 in Glasgow.
Moses’ trainer, Nestor Tobias said the fact that the fight is now a world title fight did not change the way they had been working in the gym. Read more about HITMAN GOING FOR WORLD TITLE
