Recently, Minister Pravin Gordhan said that former Eskom engineers who are now working abroad should be recalled to South Africa to help solve the crisis. Most of them are probably white.

In the same week, Rapport quoted Eskom’s own affirmative action plan, which outlines that by March 2020, there should be 1 308 fewer white employees (who are qualified) in its service. This includes 336 engineers and many middle managers – working where the essential maintenance work needs to be done.

Huh?

Earlier this week, Jackson Mthembu, the ANC Chief Whip, announced that contrary to expectations, the government intends to amend section 25 of the Constitution before the May election.

He also indicated that the revised Expropriation Bill (published in December) will be considered by Parliament “very soon” and will be “passed without hesitation.”

All this comes on the heels of remarkable explanation of South Africa’s land reform plans that was given to participants in the recent Davos conference by Mr Masiphula Mbongwa – the Director-General for the War Against Poverty in the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

A large part of President Ramaphosa’s turn-around plans for the South African economy are to attract billions in foreign and local investment, which hopefully will create hundreds (if not millions) of jobs. One sometimes hears other politicians muttering about the “investment boycott” by South African businesses, which are sitting on “billions of rand” and “doing nothing with it”.

But do politicians and government officials know how business people think? Do they know how to break the so-called investment boycott? Here are some insights – call it “Investment 101” for politicians.

The University of Pretoria (UP) successfully won a court challenge against its “English only” language policy in December 2016. Since then, it prepared the way for this policy to be implemented. Last week, the UP found it necessary to announce that from this year, all first-year students will only be taught in English. This is not new, as the decision was already taken almost three years ago. 

Nevertheless, the statement by the UP warrants analysis and commentary, for three significant reasons.  Firstly, the media statement made by the UP’s spokesperson, Rikus Delport; secondly the comments by the newly-appointed Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tawana Kupe; and thirdly the tweet on the issue by the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni (being a former Chancellor of the former University of the North-West in Mafikeng).