Home Affairs Official Faces Disciplinary Action for Diplomatic Travel Delay
Castro Mlaba, a South African home affairs official in Harare, is facing disciplinary action for his role in a diplomatic travel bungle that delayed President Cyril Ramaphosa's delegation in Zimbabwe in September, reports TimesLIVE. The incident occurred on September 4 when President Ramaphosa was attending the inauguration of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mlaba is accused of failing to ensure that the travel documents of the entire delegation were processed speedily, resulting in a delay of over an hour. Mlaba has denied the allegations, arguing that he was not aware of the changes in travel arrangements. The labour court has ruled that Mlaba must return to South Africa to face the disciplinary hearing.
Shoprite CEO Earns Less Than Woolworths CEO Despite Larger Company
In the 2023 financial year, Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht received a total pay package of R64.66 million, while Woolworths CEO Roy Bagattini earned a staggering R122.4 million in the same period, reports News24. This is despite the fact that Shoprite has a much larger footprint in terms of stores than Woolworths. Market analysts say that a host of factors are considered when setting CEO pay packages, including share price performance. Both Woolworths and Shoprite have delivered strong results of late, so it is likely that shareholders are not unhappy with the big paydays for the CEOs. However, some people have criticised the pay packages, saying that they are too high. They argue that the CEOs are already well-paid and that the money could be better spent on other things, such as employee salaries or investing in the companies' businesses.
Fuel Prices Predicted to Drop in November, Bringing Relief to South Africans
The Automobile Association (AA) has predicted a fuel price decrease for November in South Africa, offering relief to financially strained citizens, reports EWN. This comes after three consecutive months of fuel price increases, with petrol and diesel exceeding R25 per litre. The expected decrease is attributed to stable international oil prices and the dollar-rand exchange rate. While this is good news for consumers struggling with high food and fuel costs, the AA has cautioned that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas could potentially impact oil prices negatively.
