Blogs

In the past few weeks, there has been yet another huge public outcry on the functioning of the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and this has provoked a range of talk (and a lot of hot air too) about how we can go about fixing things to make one of the larger national development funders in South Africa, work better.

Flickr image: 

Director of the Wilderness Foundation, Andrew Muir, addressed the portfolio committee on environmental affairs on the topic of rhino poaching on, 26 January 2012. Together with a number of other environmental and wildlife organisations, the Wilderness Foundation offered advice and insight into the way forward to help curb poaching in 2012.

Many thanks to the 450 NGOs who marched to the National Lotteries Board (NLB) offices in Pretoria and the hundreds who signed our petition and supported us. NGOs from throughout South Africa i.e. Eastern, Western and Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Gauteng. People travelled from as far as Secunda, Nelspruit, Vereeniging to voice their outrage – one only has to look at the posters to gage their opinions.

The frustrations experienced by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) when applying for lotto funding came under spotlight when a group of NGOs marched to the National Lotteries Board (NLB) offices on 27 January 2012 in Pretoria.

The march highlighted NGOs’ concerns regarding the Lotto which are well-documented in a study undertaken by the Funding Practice Alliance, the class action to the Western Cape High Court and other related issues.

The SME Growth Index is the first and largest study of its kind to be undertaken in South Africa. It differs from previous studies in breadth, scope and intent. It is based on the experiences and perspectives of a Panel of 500 small businesses, across South Africa’s three major metropolitan areas. It delves into the wide spectrum of factors germane to the operation of a business. It also focuses on drivers behind SME survival and growth.

Memorandum for National Lotteries Board

Expectations

The African National Congress (ANC) held its 100th birthday celebrations from 6-8 January 2011 in Mangaung, Free State, where it was formed in 1912. The celebrations featured events which were attended by among others, sitting and former heads of state, ANC members and supporters from all over South Arica and the alliance partners.

Below are the messages of support to mark the ANC’s centenary:

Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks have narrowly avoided a collapse, agreeing to the bare minimum deal possible. The plan gets the Green Climate Fund up and running without any sources of funding, preserves a narrow pathway to avoid 4 degrees of warming and gets a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol without key members.

I see the phrase ‘sexual activity’ almost on a daily basis, mostly in newspapers or in online articles quoting what a government official said. What does it mean?

Is it a social activity or is it something you do on your own? Do you need to be a member of a certain club and pay a fee?

When do you engage in ‘sexual activity’ and where? Why are teenagers not supposed to take part in it?

Who invented it? Is there a manual on how to do it well? Can you make money from being good at ‘sexual activity’?