Dear friends and fellow South Africans,

If the Government Communication and Information Service had announced the launch of a state newspaper this morning, most of us would have written it off as an April Fool's joke. But this is, unfortunately, a serious intention of the GCIS, which it has taken to Cabinet.

The corporate governance recommendations contained in King III are intended to mitigate the risk of a management which acts opportunistically in its own interests rather than in the best interest of the company. King III sets out to achieve this by recommending how the board of directors should direct and control the company, writes Natasha Bouwman.

South Africa’s investigating unit (SIU) has been inundated with new cases revealing staggering corruption in the police, the public broadcaster, the land reform and housing subsidy systems, state departments and municipalities, a parliamentary committee was told last week. At the same time political economist and commentator Moeletsi Mbeki on an international website poses the question: “Will corruption lead the country to ruin or will it lead to the ANC's own ruin?

The highest run-chase in the history of the Cricket World Cup, a tactical master-stroke by MS Dhoni and a brain implosion by the Sri Lankans with the non-selection of Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath were the ingredients of one of the greatest finals ever in this global showpiece at the Wankhede Stadium.

A Chinese energy researcher has developed proven technology to store solar energy in batteries that could be used to power even whole cities and countries and make coal and oil obsolete, according to a report published by the Energy and Capital newsletter.

From the US Government to Swiss banker Julius Baer, the lessons of Wikileaks have left many a leader shuddering at the prospect of their secrets being exposed to the world. Relegating digital communication culture to the corner of the company where the techies twitch and the marketers mumble is no longer an option. If it doesn’t form an integral part of any organisation then that organisation is at risk. The corner has become the cornerstone, writes Dave Duarte.

While conventional wisdom holds that in South Africa the whites own 87% of the land and blacks only 13%, the reality is that the total black slice of land ownership might already be about 55%. South Africa now risks, after dismantling apartheid, embarking on another form of social and racial engineering heedless of the key lesson from the past: how difficult it is to reverse the results of such projects, says John Kane-Berman of the South African Institute of Race Relations(SAIRR).

The Land Tenure Security Bill (LTSB) presently before parliament could, if it becomes law, not only seriously disrupt farming activities in the country and threaten agricultural job opportunities, but also impact  negatively on the interests of the very farm workers whose interests it purports to promote.

Findings from a  2010 survey by a leading firm of actuaries released last week  reveal that rising healthcare costs are the biggest concern for employers, brokers and medical schemes within the healthcare industry. Medical schemes are still struggling to contain these costs. At the same time members perceive the benefits to be decreasing.

With the co-operation of the The LR Management Group, we can now bring you the leadership training tool 50 Lessons, which is a powerful force in the world of corporate learning. 50 Lessons is the worlds premier multimedia business resource, offering more than 1 000 personal and authentic video lessons from internationally respected business leaders. It can assist you to increase the utilisation and return on investment of your learning programmes immediately!

Without its large reserves in oil and natural gas Libya would have been just another barren obscure country in North Africa better known for its impressive desert landscapes, old Roman ruins, epic Second World War battlefields and an eccentric leader. But, there is actually more about Libya than just oil and gas.

The DHL Stormers have conquered two local fortresses this season, beating the Bulls at Loftus and the Sharks in Durban, where they have lost significant battles in 2010 and 2009, and those psychological boosts would no doubt give them confidence ahead of another massive challenge, the Reds of Australia at Newlands this coming weekend.

When South Africa on 17 March this year, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, voted for the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya it did so with the other two African members of the council, Nigeria an Gabon. However, it placed the country  at odds with its new-found Bric allies of the emerging world; Brazil, Russia, India and China abstained. This is but one of many bewildering aspects of the thoroughly confusing Libyan conflict.

“Worth a read?” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review. In other words, it provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week we take a look at Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions, written by Guy Kawasaki and published in April 2011.

By the middle of March this year it was reported that California was closely monitoring possible radioactive fallout from the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. Although  downplayed as a threat, by the end of March some trace amounts of radioactive iodine linked to Fukushima turned up in rainwater samples there and as far away as Massachusetts.  Is this a case of being on the wrong side of the tracks?

With 6 ½ weeks to go before South Africans cast their votes in the municipal elections, all the major political parties are stepping up their campaigns. This brings with it a more heated atmosphere in which the gloves are fast coming off, the worst examples perhaps being that of the monkey politics brought to the party by Julius Malema, the discovery of  alleged hit lists and a murder plot that has also now been added to the mix.