Wessel PIETERS

Sylvia.
Was this the Labour or Constitutional Court?
On taking instructions from ANYBODY we advise project managers “TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT” and if then you get hurt, then quit or find another position.  Never compromise if you know RIGHT from WRONG; and if there are 50 Shades of Right & Wrong, the criteria should be to judge which decision will cr…[Read more]

After reading the report I am without words.  It confirms what I did not believe was possible.
The question that jumps to the forefront is that we have a minister that cannot administer, does not understand HE or skills development, wants everything “centrally controlled”, did not keep the university funding up at sustainable levels and now he…[Read more]

Kudakwashe, I am afraid the opinions we share are not shared by government who wants to regulate “fairness” and reduce “poverty”.  Somehow that has never worked anywhere.  One cannot legislate fairness and poverty reduction.  Politicians are not clever guys – typically a US Senator got legislation passed that regulated the value of pi = 3,14 ma…[Read more]

A lot of useful comment, but allow some general remarks that will hopefully encourage further debate resulting in direction and leadership and not motherhood statements and crying fowl.
Each industry and each organization within an industry has a structure, efficiencies and markets that permit a certain sales margin translated into a gross…[Read more]

Irene.
The unintended consequence (government has so many of these) of a minimum wages is that it provides a standard of minimum pay.  Now, when we have standards, we comply without the need of a moral compass.
Considering the government being the custodian of looking after the poor, why should one pay more?
I suggest that the minimum wage does mo…[Read more]

Hannes makes good points, but the fundamentals are not addressed.
I was looking at a chart of innovations per capita of countries of the world.  I was looking for SA’s position and was expecting say a 30% rating.  I found Zimbabwe last on the list.  SA was not even mentioned.
Bob is doing something right – SA is doing nothing…..
Talking abo…[Read more]

Dolce.
We do have a lot of common ground and that is a basis for continuing the debate.
I do have the following comments:
The SA mining industry is doing much more that equivalent industries in the world to alleviate poverty and provide some form of income to 100.000’s.  For how long we do not know.  It is however doing its fair share of t…[Read more]

Hi Bernard.
The fundamental problem that few is aware of is that we live in a country with opposing Value Systems.
The one is the Western-Christian value system where the Bible give fundamental guidance in striking a balance between God, Functional excellence and Social care (I am because I think – Descartes) while the Ubuntu Value System p…[Read more]

I have read the comments below specially that of Dolce, and in many cases she is right.
We have a war going on between the Communists (Cosatu et al) & government (40% communist, specially Dti and Dept of Mining – see Glencoe last week) and the business community.  Government is openly business unfriendly.  The problem is however that the private i…[Read more]

There are 69 pages to work through.
The first scan indicate:
Certain target dates are already missed.
The “should” and “must” sentences is part of the wish list.  So what must we add to it?
14 days comment period is ridiculous.  It leaves the impression that gov is not interested in real comments but must go through the motion to show that they di…[Read more]

A futile comment…what a waste.
In the meantime, SA manufacturing industry has shrank by 50% since 1994, and the mining industry has not grown at all.
Instead the DTI is pursuing this policy when the same government do not have teachers and one of the weakest education systems in the world.
BBEEE will only work when the economy grows at 3% above…[Read more]

Meloney.
I understand your intentions but there are facts on the ground that if ignored then we can all retire and go fishing.
The facts are well-known and much can be done to change the situation so that education can deliver on the education promise.  The willingness to accept facts and follow through on a corrective action is what is r…[Read more]

Hannes, of course this is what must happen, but there are a few conditions to make it happen.
1. one requires an Authority that is willing to listen.  That is not the case here.  Blade is a central planning and control fanatic because of his political orientation.  Until he leaves there is little chance of success.
2. one requires a sub…[Read more]

General agreement about Bloom type taxonomies, etc but also considering….
thinking styles of people is either right or left hand brain dominant.  Considering the population as a whole 50% of the children does not fit into the left brain dominant teaching environment.  Many private institutions provide these environments.
The irritation with go…[Read more]

It is not a secret.  The government detest the private sector.  It believes in Central Planning and it further believes it has the resources and competence to do what they think the country needs.  So why do we wish to engage with them?
It is also true that governments become more irrelevant in certain sectors.  If a strong private sector edu…[Read more]

Looking at what happens to Eskom it would be better if the UCT Xhosas takes over the Zulu Eskom board.  They excel in moving things and transforming UCT into a Xhosa University.  Maybe they can transform Eskom in an electricity generating company.  They must do it on 2nd April!