by Ben Pieters | Nov 26, 2021 | Conflicts of Interest, Governance, values and ethics
What is professional integrity failure? For instance, at which stage can the lead auditor of a global audit firm discuss his employment with the listed company being audited?To my mind, and that of the learned High Court judge in Botswana, most certainly not while...
by Ben Pieters | Nov 22, 2021 | ESG
Eskom’s ageing fleet of power stations has plagued the power utility and the country for years. Are battery energy storage systems the answer? The sharp increase in the number of load-shedding days since 2018 highlights the challenges that Eskom faces: a...
by Ben Pieters | Nov 19, 2021 | Retirement funds
The choice between stand-alone retirement funds vs umbrella funds is not a simple one, but it’s a decision every business must at least consider as it fulfils its promise to act in the best interests of its employees’ financial futures. FLEXIBILITY Flexibility is, of...
by Ben Pieters | Nov 17, 2021 | Fraud & corruption
It was as profound a victory for accountability as it was precedent-setting as a triumph for SA’s access to information laws. The High Court ordered the SA Revenue Service (SARS) to hand over, within 10 days, the tax returns of former president Jacob Zuma from...
by Ben Pieters | Nov 11, 2021 | Eskom
Moneyweb reports that the reality is that Eskom is skating a very fine line when it comes to managing its operating reserve these days. Eskom requires an operating reserve of 2 200MW. This means it requires 2 200MW more electricity generated than demanded. ...
by Ben Pieters | Nov 11, 2021 | State-owned Enterprises
Business Maverick reports that the government and SAA have washed their hands of raising money for Mango Airlines to fund the implementation of its business rescue plan. This means that Mango airlines likely to fold. Mango, which is owned by the government and is a...
by Ben Pieters | Aug 22, 2021 | Boards of directors, Shareholders
This is the second of two articles dealing with the complexities often experienced at SMEs relating to shareholding, directorships and resolving corporate governance principles at this level. To better understand the approach we take and why we recommend it, you have...
by Ben Pieters | Jun 11, 2021 | Fraud & corruption, Uncategorized
If SA just spends and spends, then the young and successful people will increasingly leave and rather work elsewhere. They do not deserve the burden they will carry for enriching the few at the expense of the many. No more budgets to spend and taxes to collect South...
by Ben Pieters | Apr 11, 2021 | ESG
When BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink says “climate change is front and centre”, the investment world listens. That’s because BlackRock, with almost $9 trillion (close to R138 trillion) entrusted to it, is the world’s largest asset manager. Annual...
by Ben Pieters | Mar 31, 2021 | Boards of directors
This is the first of two articles dealing with the complexities often experienced at SMEs relating to shareholding and directorships. In this article we highlight some of the typical issues encountered. If you can relate to this, you must also read our second...
