Time to see sense![](https://biz-file.com/b/1008/54522.jpg?1) The giant world media bodies WAN-IFRA and the WEF have joined many others in the fight against media repression in South Africa - one of the few countries on the continent with any respect for the freedom of information. The organisations have addressed a joint open letter to President Jacob Zuma urging him to ensure the Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal proposal are amended or disregarded altogether. Numerous media and civil rights organisations as well as businesses have spoken out, condemning the proposed legislation as unconstitutional, but to little avail as the ruling party have yet to show any signs of seeing sense. So what will it take if letters and statements from far and wide are not enough to convince the South African government that these laws are unacceptable? Do we have to gather our placards and march to the doors of Parliament and toyi-toyi (which ironically enough originates from Zimbabwe)? And why exactly is South Africa still fighting for a free press? Did we not already win this battle with the fall of apartheid? The relationship between the state and media has certainly gone awry, but muzzling the media by brute force is certainly not the way to fix anything. Instead of focusing on the problem, let's come up with solid solutions and turn this potentially disastrous frown, upside down! Cheers, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
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Special focus on media freedom
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55979.jpg?1) The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum (WEF) have written an open letter to South African president Jacob Zuma denouncing the proposed Protection of Information Bill and the Media Appeals Tribunal currently before parliament. The organisations have expressed concern over the proposed legislations' threat to media freedom. Read more >> [Chris Stein] JOHANNESBURG: International media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks South Africa's press as among the freest on the continent. Two proposed new measures are drawing unfavourable comparisons to repressive laws in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55970.jpg) NEW YORK: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday, 20 August 2010, warned that the continuing crisis for independent journalism in The Gambia adds to the uncertainty facing one of the country's journalists who has been detained in Israel. Read more >>Marketing
The International Marketing Council of South Africa (Brand South Africa) has appointed Lynette Oelschig as chief marketing officer. Oelschig is a marketing communications specialist with over 20 years of post graduation experience extending from public relations and advertising agencies to corporate senior management positions in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Europe. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55688.jpg) The United Nations Global Compact is an initiative to encourage businesses to voluntarily adhere to ethical standards. Launched in 2000, the initiative now has about 7,700 participants, including 297 firms in Africa. Africa Renewal spoke with executive director Georg Kell about the Compact's anti-corruption work. Read more >>Advertising
MAURITIUS: Saatchi & Saatchi's Mauritius office, P&P Link Saatchi & Saatchi, won a silver and bronze award at the recent AMEP awards at the Maputo International Advertising Festival hosted by the Mozambican Association of Marketing and Advertising in Maputo. Read more >> [Dumisani Ndlela] Beleaguered advertising agency, Imago Advertising, formerly Imago Young & Rubicam, has lost its accreditation after failing to extricate itself from huge debts incurred from a campaign on behalf of President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF in 2008. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55569.jpg) All agency- and industry-related bands can enter the 2010 Loeries Battle of the Bands and the five shortlisted bands will perform on stage on Friday, 1 October 2010. The night will kick off at 8pm and there will be prizes for the winners from Heineken, Backsberg, Red Bull and Glaceau. Read more >>Branding
AFRICA Correction: MAZ brand contest, no Superbrands associationIn the article Zim: Over 100 brands up for Superbrand contest by Dumisani Ndlela, published on Friday, 20 August 2010, Bizcommunity Africa incorrectly published the Superbrands logo in accompaniment to the article. The international Superbrands company has no association whatsoever with the Marketing Association of Zimbabwe's Superbrand - Brand of the Year 2010 competition. We apologise for the error. [Dumisani Ndlela] The Marketing Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) says it remains on course in its hunt for the most powerful brands in the country under the Superbrand - Brand of the Year 2010 competition launched in March 2010. Read more >> CSI
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55739.jpg) WASHINGTON, DC: The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) has announced the top winners of the second round of the 2010 Africa Rural Connect (ARC) ideas competition. Launched last year, ARC is an online program of NPCA that aims to tap the creativity and knowledge of former volunteers and the international community to find ways to address some of rural Africa's greatest needs. Read more >>Digital
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55764.jpg) The first AITEC East Africa ICT Summit will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 7-8 September 2010. The summit will host ICT suppliers, service providers, innovators, managers and policy-makers to share knowledge and network in the two-day conference and expo. Read more >> [Alistair Fairweather] Measuring your brand's social media equity can be a tricky business. Confronted by the multitude of platforms, buzzwords and measurement tools you might be tempted to simplify both your metrics and your strategies. After all, who's to say that a follower on Twitter is more or less valuable than a fan on Facebook? Read more >> [Rob Dickens] If you've got a Facebook Page then you need to be aware of some changes being implemented from the 23rd of August. Facebook recently announced the changes on the Developer's Blog and if you have a page you will probably have noticed this announcement at the top: Get ready for your streamlined Page. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55693.jpg) SAN FRANCISCO: Computer security firm Sophos on Monday (16 August 2010) warned that scammers are duping Facebook users with a bogus "Dislike" button that slips malicious software onto machines. Read more >>[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi has launched a Pan-African e-Network touted by, newly-appointed information and civic education minister, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, as a technology milestone that will help the country save resources. Read more >> [Herman Manson: @marklives] Wading through the near endless amount of PR on the digital transformation and seamless integration of digital into the advertising world, it must be a little disconcerting for Clint Bryce, chairman of both the Digital and Online Advertising judging panels of the 2010 Loerie awards, to see entries in these categories decline this year in spite of steady growth in online ad spend. Read more >>Education and Training
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA: The Ministry of Education of Namibia, in cooperation with the UNESCO office in Windhoek, held a meeting on creating a digital education library for Namibia. The meeting, which took place last Friday, 20 August 2010, discussed the Namibian Digital Education Library Needs Assessment, commissioned by UNESCO and prepared by Open Learning Exchange. Read more >>Eventing
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55839.jpg) How can the arts be used to empower and heal African communities? This crucial issue will be discussed during the Drama for Life Africa Research Conference, taking place at Wits University from 26 to 28 August 2010. Read more >>Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/1007/51215.jpg?1)
Media
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55998.jpg) Bizcommunity.com's very own Issa Sikiti da Silva, a freelance journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has won an award in the Print category of the SADC Media 2010 Awards, SADC secretariat and the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) announced late last week. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55835.jpg) ADDIS ABABA: The African Union Commission and A24 Media on Tuesday, 17 August 2010, announced a partnership under the Year of Peace and Security in Africa campaign. A24 Media will provide communication support through the distribution of news and information on the implementation of the campaign to its various networks via its online portal. Read more >>The African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) will meet in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 18-19 November 2010. The main theme of the forum is 'Funding African media in an age of uncertain business models'. The forum is being hosted by the Spectrum Media Group, one of the largest broadcasters on the continent, which operates out of West and Central Africa. Read more >>Mobile
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55802.jpg) Mobile network operator MTN Group on Thursday (19 August 2010) reported adjusted headline earnings per share up 20.6% to 438.6 cents for the six months ended June 2010. Read more >>Advertisement:![](https://biz-file.com/b/1007/52425.gif?2)
Mobile browser, BOLTT has signed an agreement with BuzzCity, a mobile media company that offers access to a global advertising network on the mobile internet. The partnership will see the mobile browser delivering mobile advertising content to its users. Read more >>Public Relations
[Walter Wafula] Ugandan marketing and media management firm, ZK Advertising, emerged the Overall Winner of the 2010 Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) Excellence Awards in Kampala last Friday, 13 August. ZK also won the Media Management Award. Read more >> Retail
[Dumisani Ndlela] There is a new signal that seasons have changed in Zimbabwe, and it is the apparel shops displaying "winter clearance sale" or "summer fashions just arrived" signs on their display windows. Read more >> COTONOU, BENIN: The Benin-based Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), with technical and financial support from Japan has launched a project to help African rice farmers maximise the potential of inland valleys, through ecological management. Read more >>Brewer SABMiller plc announced on Wednesday, 18 August 2010, that its Ghanaian subsidiary, Accra Brewery (ABL) Limited, wants to de-list from the Ghana Stock Exchange in order to implement a business recovery programme. Read more >>The fully tenanted Princess Crossing Mall, situated in Ondekkers Road, Roodepoort, has been sold for close to R300 million to a West African investor - via a private property fund based in the Western Cape. Read more >>The 30th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) closed on Tuesday, 17 August 2010, with an affirmation to consolidate timelines for the establishment of the Free Trade Area (FTA) and speeding up preparations towards a Customs Union. Read more >>LIBREVILLE: Irradiation, river pollution and low fish stocks are among the effects noted of mining in Gabon by the non-governmental organisation Brainforest in an investigation published on Monday (16 August 2010). Read more >>[Cam McGrath] CAIRO: Opportunistic food traders have been blamed for soaring food prices across the Middle East that have added a financial burden on families observing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Read more >> [Servaas van den Bosch] WINDHOEK: "Africans do not believe women can do big business," fumes Zambian trader Angelica Rumsey. She is referring to the routine harassment of women traders by border officials throughout the southern African region but her statement is also reflected in the nature of goods on display at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Women in Business Trade Fair in Windhoek from 12-18 August 2010. Read more >> TV
[Gregory Gondwe] Multichoice Malawi, early last week, launched its latest DStv bouquet offering, DStv Compact PLUS. The facility has over 47 news, lifestyle and entertainment channels and a total of seven sports channels namely SuperSport 7, SuperSport 9, SuperSport Blitz, SuperSport 10, TellyTrack, ESPN and ESPN Classic. Read more >> More International news...
[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Scooting around in a little pocket rocket can be bags of fun, particularly if you are lining up at the traffic lights in a cheeky little Suzuki Swift - not the standard model, but the testosterone-fed Sport derivative. Read more >>![](https://biz-file.com/c/1008/55809.jpg) A new study shows the impact of alcohol intoxication on reasoning and problem-solving abilities and may explain why some people feel they have recovered enough to drive after drinking. Read more >> More Motoring news...
More Travel news...
[Ruth Cooper] I used to like Jax Panik, even though it was formulaic pop music it was tongue in cheek and didn't take itself too seriously, a phenomenon that is not often found in the sickly sweet pop world. But somehow the new Jax Panik track Get Up (if you're hot) featuring HC seems to have lost its sense of humour. Read more >> [Ilva Pieterse] I caught up with Dead Alphabet at Oppikoppi "Sexy.Crooked.Teeth" for a quick interview after their show. Friends since high-school, this local rock band is made up of: Adam Edwards on vocals and guitar; Justin Gent on drums; Hugh Hunt on bass guitar; and Phil Klawansky on guitar and Vocals. Here is what they had to say. Read more >> [Sindy Peters] Remember that band that won the Red Bull Radar competition at Rocking the Daisies 2008? Well, they've finally dropped their debut album. The Plastics recently released Shark at the official Cape Town launch gig which took place at the always popular Assembly. Read more >> More BizLounge news...
- Talent selection for safety and reliability SHL - Pretoria, 24 August
- The journal breakfast debate The Future - Johannesburg, 24 August
- Ultimate Adobe CS5 experience - Johannesburg, 26 August
- Professional business writing and minute taking Institute of Secretarial Studies - Mowbray, 27 August
- Fundraising in the digital world - Johannesburg, 1 September
- Information systems risk management Faculty Training Institute - Cape Town, 9 September
- Southern Africa telecommunications summit ASM Communications - Johannesburg, 15 September
- Public talk - Why can't I stay positive? The Demartini Institute - Johannesburg, 15 September
- Fleet management TransAuto Academy - CENTURION, 27 September
- ICT women empowerment Africa summit CORPTRAIN (PTY) LIMITED - Midrand - JHB, 28 September
"Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success." - Anonymous "Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." - Anonymous "A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others." - Ayn Rand
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