March 9 2016 at 06:54 PM (probably some USA time) and Rob Davies became Bolshie Bob

Still uppercase although I had started using lowercase for politicians I detested long before.  

March 09, 2016

Policy certainty, the DTI and communist sludge

Heaven forbid that Bolshie Bob's department provide us with information that is clearly thought out, properly researched and executed according to the constitution. I doubt whether our justifiably lambasted commie believes in heaven, that's where he and I concur, otherwise I think he's useless. Where was I?

There is a big brother watching us from London, goes by the name of Peter Attard Montalto. Peter is Nomura's emerging markets economist. He is quoted very often in the South African business press. An article on the fantastic Biznews.com website listed a number of Montalto's concerns about South African, Zoomer and Pravin. Here's what he had to say about Bolshie Bob's folly

Montalto said they were surprised to find that the business community is becoming increasing dissatisfied with BBBEE. "This is something of a surprise – for so long any concerns about its structure or costs were buried and seen as simply the cost of doing business in South Africa. "Now, however, the costs from the ownership requirements in structuring BEE deals are being recognised as excessive, and the focus on ownership over true transformation of local communities, junior employers and junior managers is seen to be misdirected."

Of course my standard response is "why aren't they doing something about this?". Why must it always be this privileged white boy residing in the suburbs of Johannesburg who kicks up a fuss and moans. Perhaps they are doing something about this. But if it's through Pravin, Bolshie will have wreaked a mountain of havoc before Pravin tells him to wind his mechanical neck in.

There is a pattern that emerges within all government departments. It's a known fact that other than Treasury and Derek the people running and working in these departments are a little (read totally) out of their league. Ignorance under these circumstances is not bliss, it's downright fucking dangerous. Id est

THE Department of Communications has come out in defence of the Broadcasting Amendment Bill despite opposition objections that it gives the minister sweeping powers and would not pass constitutional muster. Acting director-general Ndivhuho Munzhelele said on Tuesday in Parliament that the department was confident the bill did not violate the Constitution, instead it would improve the functioning of the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC's) board, a bedrock of instability.

I could be wrong (but I'm not – to quote Don Henley) but I suspect that they went ahead with their bill placing an incredible amount of faith (in Faith) to not interfere in the board (like she hasn't done that yet). Their standard argument is "it's constitutional, if you don't agree prove it".

Repealing codes in a willy nillly fashion, promulgating codes in a willy-nilly fashion is the same. It's constitutional, fucking prove it isn't. The time has surely come to prove it isn't