"We must make sure that at least there is some cushion for the poor so that they don't fall even lower than they are now. "That we must do. But we must also see it is important we do certain things that would reduce the dependence of the people on grants," he said. This included encouraging small business and co-operatives." All of these things, so that people don't think it is sufficient merely to hold out their hands and receive a handout, but to understand that all of us, as South Africans, have a shared responsibility to attend to the development of the country"

This is an excerpt of then President Thabo Mbeki’s speech to community development workers at an indaba in 2008. Mbeki certainly wasn’t revered for his theories, including the whole “HIV doesn’t cause AIDS” fiasco, but he may have had a point here…

What make South Africa so different?

The question is, why is it that South Africans have adopted a culture of expecting handouts? Contrary to common belief, handouts are not an inherent African ethos.

As one Nigerian put it in Polity.org.za "... They say once you put two Nigerians together, then you have a market. They're selling something to each other.”

That makes a lot of common sense. It means there’s always someone needing some services or products and willing to pay for them. So, isn’t it a matter of figuring out what people need and then making or buying and reselling these services or products?

As poor as Zimbabwe has become (only from an economic point of view!), “you don’t see beggars on street corners there the way you do in South Africa” says Jane Lyne-Kritzinger from Youth Dynamix. So, what does that mean?

Has the new government created a NEW problem?

Zuma was quoted in a City Press article in October 2014 entitled “South Africans must wakeup!” when he said “due to the extensive roll-out of services after 1994, South Africans had become dependent on the state.” He was making the point that nowhere else in Africa had so much been done to address the plight of the poor, yet you don’t see protests and strikes anywhere else. He went on to say, “Our people are waiting for government. Our people are not used to standing up and doing things.”  

What do South African youth think? 

Interestingly, even though the South African government has ploughed billions into infrastructure development and education, the youth continue to have a strong lack of belief in government. 85% of South African teens, according to YDx research, agree government is not living up to its promises. YDx research also shows that 73% of teens are worried about getting a job. 

This continues to be one of the biggest stress factors for youth in SA. And they often get lured into crime and expect handouts and social grants just to make ends meet. Linked to the high youth unemployment rate, YDx research also shows that 87% of SA teens are worried about South Africa’s economic performance; with 51% of teens saying they would like to leave SA (for a better job / opportunity / or education overseas).

The consequences of being a nation that expects handouts…

Children brought up in a handout environment may naturally grow up thinking this is the norm so they develop an attitude of expectancy. What will the country do for me, what will my employer do for me, what will the richer do for me? And the list goes on.

This level of expectation is also evident in terms of their aspirations and dreams. Research conducted by YDx shows that youth are exceptionally materialistic: Desperate to catapult themselves out of their current situation and directly into a world filled with expensive brands, possessions and fame.

Our research also shows that although it is good to dream, goals without practical steps are just empty dreams that never get realised.  So many young people have no idea HOW to practically realise their dreams and potential.

They have no steps in place to make it work or become successful. Not only do the youth expect handouts, other elements, such as the instantaneous nature of technology; and easy access to media ooze with aspiration value.

You see successful people and celebrities who never talk about the hard work, the effort and time that goes into accomplishing things.  Because the youth only see the seeds of success, they expect wealth and success to come by easily. 

Youth Dynamix is a specialist youth and family marketing and research agency.

Website: www.ydx.co.za

Summary: On the heels of SAA being named “Best Airline in Africa” by Skytrax for its 12th consecutive year, SAA has also been awarded “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” by Business Traveler.  

Johannesburg. 15 January 2015 – South African Airways (SAA) is proud to receive, once again, both “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” awards from top US travel magazine, Business Traveler.  

Readers of the US-based magazine are world-class experts in the business of travel who know quality when they experience it.  South African Airways were selected among a variety of top travel products and services.  The awards were presented to SAA at a ceremony held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, CA on 8 January 2015. This recognition comes on top of Skytrax naming SAA “Best Airline in Africa” for the 12th consecutive year.  

"It is a distinguished honour to receive these awards and we thank all Business Traveler’s readers who chose us as their favourite airline in Africa,” says Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA Acting Chief Executive.  

“This further demonstrates SAA’s commitment to excellence and reinforces our belief, in keeping with our Long-Term Turnaround Strategy, that an outstanding customer experience is what makes a great airline.”  

South African Airways offers the most flights from the U.S. to South Africa with daily non-stop service from New York-JFK Airport and daily direct service from Washington, DC-Dulles Airport to Johannesburg, South Africa.  

About South African Airways (SAA) South African Airways[Link to http://www.flysaa.com] (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 57 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, SA Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and ten intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for twelve consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for three years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on - time airlines.  

For more information contact:

SAA Group Tlali Tlali, Spokesperson (Manager: Media Relations)

Tel: +27 11 978 2298 082 333 3880

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Great news for the South African National Culinary Team is that the City Lodge Hotel Group will be taking care of their accommodation needs as they prepare for next year’s IKA Culinary Olympics taking place in Erfurt, Germany!

This means that the eight member team – three from Johannesburg and five from Cape Town – will be able to get together for practices as they build up to the big event which takes place from October 22-26 in 2016.

If the Joburgers go down to Cape Town, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel – if the Capetonians come up to Joburg, they will be able to stay at any City Lodge Group Hotel.

As Heinz Brunner, manager of the SA National Culinary Team, says: “Travel is necessary to ensure that the team can practise together and then go back to their restaurants and perfect their dishes through including them on their own menus.” The team will practise at different venues every two months.

“We are training hard, developing an exceptional menu and working as a team to produce world-class food that represents South Africa’s culinary scene with excellence. We couldn’t do this without our fantastic sponsors and partners. A huge thank you goes to the City Lodge Hotel Group for their support as our accommodation partner and to Imperial LSC as our headline sponsor.”

Commenting on behalf of the City Lodge Hotel Group, Peter Schoeman, Divisional Director, Sales and Marketing, said: “It is a privilege for us to assist our Springboks of the food world as they prepare to represent our country in the world’s ultimate culinary challenge.”

The competition will see national teams from across the globe compete in categories such as Hot Kitchen, Cold Table and Pastry.

The Institute for the Blind could soon face closure because of the Department of Labour pulling the plug on funding and Lotto contributions and donations drying up, which could result in the 530 blind and disabled people housed at the Institute’s facilities literally living on the streets if substantial financial help doesn’t come soon to help with annual costs of over R51-million a year.

The Institute only receives 15% of its funding from the State and the Institute’s fundraising department is solely responsible for raising the balance of 85% of the total costs (R43 641 186).

This is according to Freddie Botha, Executive Head of the Institute for the Blind, who says that the sudden unexpected loss of a subsidy from the Department of Labour, which the Institute has been receiving for the last 20 years of the new dispensation and many years before that, is a big blow to the Institute, which was established in 1881 to empower persons who are blind, partially sighted or deaf-blind, including visually impaired persons with additional disabilities; by means of offering education, training, development and care towards a fulfilled life.

The R51-million annual running costs includes R29-million training services costs, caring services and administration, and over R18-million towards operating costs of the Institute’s production units, which provide employment for blind and visually impaired people.  The Institute also subsidizes the Pioneer School for the Blind (R4.2-million per year) which serves the needs of blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind learners as well as learners with multiple disabilities from pre-school, primary and secondary levels with specialized education needs not catered for by mainstream academic institutions.

“Support from the State for this very specialised education has been totally insufficient,” says global adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner, who attended the Pioneer School for the Blind from the age of five, and is the Blind Institute’s newly appointed Brand ambassador tasked with helping raising awareness of the services on offer, the capabilities of people with visual impairments (Wagner made history last year as the first blind person to participate in the treacherous Antarctica marathon) and help with raising the much needed funds.

“After a fierce struggle the Institute has received only a share of the subsidy and has to submit a new application of funding to the Department of Labour, with no guarantee that the Institute will receive any funding in future,” he explains.  He adds that the securing of funding from the State for the Institute’s tertiary training unit have also been unsuccessful.

There are 1.2-million blind/partially sighted people in SA. The Institute for the Blind is also the only organisation in South Africa that offers the full spectrum of care, training and integration into special production units for multi-disabled persons. According to Wagner, the Institute has a long waiting list of persons with visual impairments that aspire to engage in the Institute’s employment units and skills training projects.

97% of persons with visual impairments are unemployed in South Africa. “If the Institute did not avail employment opportunities at its production facilities to persons who are visually impaired, this unemployment percentage would be even higher,” says Wagner.

“The ultimate aim of the Institute is to provide gainful employment to unemployed persons who are visually impaired in the Institute’s production units making them less dependent on grants. This could save the State an enormous amount a year in grants if these people could work and the money could be used to provide more training opportunities for persons who are visually impaired.” Wagner points out that if the Institute is unable to provide employment through its production units and accommodation on the premises, these visually impaired persons will be literally standing on the street begging and their disability grants would be exploited by the people accommodating them.

“In addition, they would not receive skills training and medical care as currently offered gratuitously to them by the Institute,” he explains. “This training responsibility would therefore rest heavier on the shoulders of the Government which is not in the position to offer orientation and mobility training to persons with visual impairments, which would consequently lead to visually impaired persons being totally dependent on their families to care for them.” An emotional Wagner says that with Government support now being pulled the situation is ‘beyond desperate’.

“Another huge challenge for us is the fact that although the products made at the Institute are of a high quality, many inferior products are now being imported, especially from China, which has had a disastrous effect on our production and profits.” The fact that 97% of persons who are visually impaired are unemployed places a huge burden on the training facilities of the Institute to provide training to these persons from all over South Africa and Africa at a very low rate or even free of charge. Wagner says that the Institute is now reaching out to various international aid organisations for help in an effort to avoid closure.

Wagner, who earlier this month won the SA Championships Blind Tandem Road Race (with team mate Alwyn de Kock) says that there are many remarkable individuals that have been schooled and housed at the Institute over the years who are living proof that despite challenges, with the right help anything is possible. “However, the bottom line is that there is no hope without help,” he adds. As deaf-blind political activist/prolific author Helen Keller remarked: “The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them.”

For more information visit: http://www.blind-institute.org.za, on Twitter: @Institute4Blind or www.facebook.com/Institute-for-the-Blind

Global leader and innovator in mobile device security and Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) technology, AirWatch® by VMware is returning to the 6th IT Leaders Africa Summit as a Silver Sponsor.  

A diversified senior executive with global CRM technology applications and services experience, MD Ian Evans, has been successful in helping companies achieve their forecast goals by structuring sales and operation processes. 

  “Enterprises including Merck KGaA, a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company, have launched private app stores for two reasons, to maintain control of compliance and security risks by providing only corporate sanctioned apps for employee use and to increase productivity by allowing employees to choose the apps they need, thereby reducing IT costs.”  

Ian will explore Merck’s mobility story during their workshop at the IT Leaders Africa Summit and share best practices on implementing an engaging internal enterprise app program, which will soon be a necessity to enabling a productive mobile workforce.  

AirWatch® executives, including Ian, will be available throughout the two day summit to interact with, and offer help to attending CIOs.   Q&A sessions during this workshop will give attendees the opportunity to discuss their challenges and opportunities in the workplace.

Airwatch will also showcase their solutions at the innovation display area with experts on hand to discuss and exchange ideas with attendees.  

Join us to hear the experts at the 6th edition of IT Leaders Africa Summit on the 18-19 March 2015 at the Maslow hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.  

Contact Marcia van Jaarsveld on 021 180 4700 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.  

Established in 1973, Smith Capital Equipment which supplies industrial equipment like drilling rigs, cranes, aerial platforms has played an integral part in the South African industry. The company maintains its leading position in the market by providing appropriate solutions based on new and innovative technology as well as providing professional and reliable after sales service. Smith Capital Equipment renders its service in Municipality, Mining and Utility sectors.

The company boasts of becoming the aerial platform experts in the local South African market as well gained the reputation of being a respected partner within the African mining sector. The success of each project that Smith Capital Equipment undertakes lies in the company’s full focus and commitment for that project and successful transfer of technology.

The company helps in installation, operation and total maintenance of the industrial equipment that it supplies. After handover of any industrial equipment, the company continues to contribute time and expertise to ensure the economic viability of the equipment and that the unit is functioning well giving positive returns.

Smith Capital Equipment is the sole company on the African continent that designs and supplies a diverse range of aerial platforms according to the needs of Municipalities, Eskom and various other industrial contractors. Aerial platforms manufactured by the company come in both insulated and standard models. Not only the company indigenously.

Manufactures the Super lift Aerial Platform but also imports units from Finland, Italy and USA to ensure that it can provide varied choice and range to all its clients. The company is also the largest supplier of truck mounted cherry pickers on the African continent.

Smith Capital Equipment has gained the sole distribution rights for PM cranes knuckle boom in South Africa.The company also has a dedicated research and development wing that does ongoing research in the industrial equipment sector which results in transforming the needs expressed by the market into profitable business opportunities.

The company also manufactures truck or tractor mounted Auger and DTH drill rigs for over 30 years. The products manufactured include auguring and down-the-hole rigs. To know more, visit http://smithcapital.co.za

About Smith Capital Equipment:

Smith Capital Equipment is an ISO 9001 accredited company which manufactures and supplies industrial equipment like drilling rigs, cranes, aerial platforms in Africa. The company is a registered Lifting Machinery Entity and hires only qualified and experienced Lifting Machinery Inspectors to carry out its functions.

Contact Us: 11 Junction Rd, Industries North

Driehoek, Germiston

Johannesburg, Gauteng, 1401

P O Box 165, Bedfordview, 2008

Email: mail[@]smithcapital.co.za

Tel: +27118739830

Fax: +27118257011 

Tonya Khoury, the MD of media monitoring company, ROi Africa, is happy to update you on  the progress actor, Ivan Zimmermann, has made on the 12 000 km Tour d’Afrique.

“Yesterday it was one month since Ivan departed from Cairo on the Tour d’Afrique to raise 12 000 tins of food for Can-a-Kilo,” she says.   “Ivan is set to arrive in Cape Town on 9 May as part of the Leaders Never Quit campaign, which is supported by ROi Africa, the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and Sage Pastel,” she adds.  

Ivan said yesterday, “I arrived two days ago in Gonder, Ethiopia, as a broken man. The first shower I had in eight days could not wash away any weary emotions. It could only wash away the dirt from my sticky skin. I have now covered more than 3 000km of the 12 000km journey and so far I happen to be in third place overall.”    

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a dream that has become a reality. A dream that will test me to my limits, but also a dream that will show the world that leaders never quit,” adds Ivan.  

Ivan will be available for interviews on the following days:

12 Feb: Bahir Dar (Ethiopia)
18-19 Feb: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
25 Feb: Yabelo (Ethiopia)
2 Mar: Marsabit (Kenya)
8 Mar: Nairobi (Kenya)
11-13 Mar: Arusha (Tanzania)
21 Mar: Mbeya
24 Mar: Chitimba Beach
To book an interview, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 012-643 0436.  

For more information on Ivan’s quest, go to www.ivanzimmermann.com.

Tins can also be donated to Can-a-Kilo tab on Ivan's website.

NAME: Tonya Khoury 

E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CELL: 073 874 5377
WEBSITE: www.roiafrica.com
TWITTER: @tonyaroi / @roiafrica
FACEBOOK: /roiafrica    

ASUS, “The Choice of Champions” chooses Syntech  

“ASUS South Africa is pleased to announce a new partnership with Syntech. 2015 is a big year for ASUS with 500 million motherboards sold to date. We look forward to selling 500 Million more with the help of brilliant partners like Syntech”

Syntech will be stocking the entire ASUS range but are initially launching with the ASUS Motherboard and VGA Card range of products.

7 Good reasons why this is such exciting news:

Syntech has established themselves as one of the leading Distributors in South Africa committed to adding value to the market and empowering its resellers.

Syntech works closely with their key-resellers to deliver added value and support to clients with the best available range of products

Syntech provides exceptional marketing support including free web content, POS material and digital banner design for customers.

The exclusive “Syntech Warranty” and technical support structure offers end users and resellers peace of mind and after sales service.

Syntech now delivers a premium turnkey component solution which incorporates industry leading brands like Crucial, Seasonic, Raidmax, Patriot and OCZ

Syntech’s revolutionary approach to distribution enables them to deliver thousands of products throughout Southern Africa daily

Most importantly - Stock availability, Syntech’s procurement and logistics team help ensure that their resellers have consistent access to the stock that they actually want.  

ASUS is the number one manufacturer of motherboards in the world, commanding almost a 40% market share of the motherboard business. Over 420 million motherboards have been sold since 1989. Today, one in every three computers houses an ASUS motherboard.

ASUS has been voted the world’s “Best Motherboard Brand” for six consecutive years by readers of Tom's Hardware Guide (THG), a widely-read and respected hardware review website.

ASUS constantly push the boundaries of innovation, resulting in features and technologies that have revolutionized the motherboard industry in terms of overclocking potential, stability and power efficiency.

Some of these milestones in mainboard development include:

16 +2 Phase Power
Energy Processing Unit (EPU)
Express Gate
Drive Xpert
TweakIt 

The ASUS VGA Card Product range – every Gamers Dream

Syntech will be stocking the ASUS Geforce GTX range which has received multiple Awards, and is backed by the ASUS Exclusive Innovation.

ASUS graphics cards use DIGI+ VRM, Super Alloy Power and exclusive DirectCU cooling technology yielding a supreme overclocking and stability in gaming, making ASUS the most award winning graphics cards.

A few overall product features are mentioned below for the ASUS GeForce® GTX 760 DirectCU II

DirectCU II achieves 20% lower temps with direct-contact copper heatpipes while running vastly quieter than reference

Direct Power ensures stable performance with 56% less impedance and a 17% cooler PCB

Super Alloy Power components increase product longevity by up to 2.5X compared to reference

GPU Tweak helps you modify clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and more, all via an intuitive interface  

DirectCU II
OC-selected 1072 MHz core Direct Power
GPU Tweak
Gigantic 2GB GDDR5 Memory

Syntech Overview:Syntech was established in 2002. Our product ranges are sourced from a variety of international manufacturers. We distribute a number of top brands and distribute an extensive range of computer related products throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Our objective is to create solutions. We have developed our product range by offering these complete solutions with several focused products that cater for individual reseller requirements. Our solid relationships with our suppliers ensure that we deliver products which have been developed in accordance with market demands. Our distribution orientated business model and advanced logistics system ensures that all of our clients can expect cost effective solutions delivered on time. For further information, please visit www.syntech.co.za or contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +27 21 514 5300  

Welcome to Swoosh Business Enterprises

The Oasis of Black Entrepreneurship 

About Swoosh Business Enterprises

Swoosh Business Enterprises is a BBBEE 100% Black owned company established in 2002.

We have over 10 years of experience in business services to both government and private sector.

Services are:

Printing

Essential to every business are business cards, letterheads, envelopes, mailing labels, pocket folders andbrochures. Although basic, they serve a critical role: communicating the first impression most customers will form of your business. We not only have the range of equipment that will allow us to produce short and long run work to exacting standards, but we also have the people and creativity to assist you in making your projects stand out.  Booklets, annual reports, product catalogues, hard-bound books, newsletters, flyers and more complex jobs require a team of dedicated people who are going to navigate your project through the production process. With many of the best people in the industry at your disposal, you can be confident that even the most complex project gets done right.

Office Supplies

We offer Stationery, Ink & Toner, Paper, Technology, Canteen, Janitorial, Wellbeing & Safety,

Industrial Equipment, Computers, Printers and Furniture.

Cleaning Services

We provide a variety of cleaning methods, chemicals and equipment to facilitate and expedite the cleaning process. The scope of work may include all internal, general and routine cleaning to include floors, tiles, partition walls, internal walls, suspended ceilings, lighting, furniture and cleaning, window cleaning, deep cleans of sanitary conveniences and washing facilities, kitchens and dining areas, consumables and feminine hygiene facilities as well as cleaning of telephones, IT and other periodic cleaning as required. External cleaning, litter picking and removal of graffiti may also be incorporated.

Web and Graphic Design

Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; interface design; authoring, including standardised code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization. We overlap web engineering with web design in the broader scope of web development. We have an awareness of usability and creating mark up. We are always up to date with web accessibility guidelines.

 Mining

We provide various services and equipment such as Tunnelling and DrillingEquipment, Earthmoving Services,

Explosive Equipment, Pumps and Valves.

Trade References: 

Department of Health
South African Police Services
Gauteng Finance
Intersite Property Management Services
Department of Education

Contact
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 012 373 8606
web: www.swooshbe.co.za 

Britewrx Inc is pleased to announce the launch of its South African subsidiary, Britewrx (Pty) Ltd. With this launch, Britewrx is bringing its visual business modelling workshops and consulting services to Southern Africa, building on its success in North America.

“I am very pleased to be back in South Africa and even more to be able to offer our visual business modelling services to the sub-continent”, said Neville Chamberlain, an ex-South African who has lived and worked overseas for over 20 years.

“We have had tremendous response from both public workshops and custom client engagements in North America, and the shared language created by visual business modelling will be a powerful tool in our multi-cultural environment”, he continued.

Visual business modelling is based on *Business Model Generation* and *Value Proposition Design* by Alex Osterwalder. The books define a *business model canvas* which is used to describe business models, innovate new ideas and develop strategy.

“Businesses have to continuously innovate and re-invent themselves,” said Chamberlain. “Especially in the fast-moving business world in Southern Africa, keeping one step ahead of the competition is vital.”

Britewrx is launching its services in Southern Africa with a breakfast briefing on 19 February in Centurion, to be followed by similar events in other major centres.

For more information, visit their web site at http://britewrx.com.

Contact: Britewrx (Pty) Ltd
Neville Chamberlain +27 (76) 939-4927
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.britewrx.com