Opinion / Columnists

EDITOR’S LUNCHBOX: Gigaba’s hiring spree has come back to haunt Eskom

The country’s matric pass rate has been widely dismissed, some saying it's all smoke and mirrors (and dance)

10 January 2019 - 12:18 Robert Laing
The tangled web weaved by Eskom's many woes. Picture: SUPPLIED
The tangled web weaved by Eskom's many woes. Picture: SUPPLIED

Stories of Note

Bytes from the digital world

SA will be one of the worst performers in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 with tepid growth of 1.3%, according to the World Bank.

Actom Power Systems GM Sy Gourrah has followed the example of Brian Dames in resigning from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Eskom task-team to avoid conflicts of interest.

In My Opinion

Matters of debate

One third of Eskom’s staff was hired in the years since 2010, when the government included “job creation” in the utility’s performance targets. Now, cutting the state-owned electricity monopoly’s staffing down to a sustainable level will not be easy, Sikonathi Mantshantsha warns. 

The secret behind the government’s conjuring trick to make  matric pass rates jump to 78% was expanding the list of designated subjects to include tourism, dance, and hospitality, Jonathan Jansen reveals.

Finding Alpha

The long and the short of the markets

Amid widespread carnage on the market, Ascendis Health took the dubious honour of the JSE’s worst performer, losing a numbing 77%.

Oh, Very Twitty

The lighter side of the web

The ATM party is considered a very appropriate choice for Jacob Zuma’s former spin-doctor, Mzwanele Manyi.

Very Visual

Graph of the day

Looking at the JSE’s top 40 stocks, it’s alarming to see that only a quarter managed a positive return during 2018. Only three of the top 40 stocks gained more than 10%: the mining heavyweights AngloGold (41%), Anglo American (26%) and BHP (21%).

The real — falling — matric pass rate signals need for better foundation teaching

When the throughput of pupils from grade 2 to matric is factored in, SA’s pass rate for the past three years ranges between 41% and 37%, says the NGO
National
19 days ago

SA’s high drop-out rate puts matric pass rate closer to 40%, says DA

DA MP Nomsa Marchesi says that Angie Motshekga has not addressed the large number of learners who do not write matric in the first place
National
19 days ago

NEWS ANALYSIS: Political sideshows aiming to shake up 2019 poll

New splinter political parties should not be taken lightly as they pose a threat to the ANC in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in the 2019 elections
Politics
13 days ago

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Published by Tiso Blackstar and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.