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IOL News
2 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
One step off the greylist, but who's watching the watchdogs?
The announcement from the FATF Plenary in Strasbourg, France, marked a significant milestone for South Africa's beleaguered financial sector. Image: Ron AI BY ALL accounts, South Africa has come a long way since February 2023, when it was placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist over concerns about weak enforcement mechanisms and a lack of political will to combat high-level corruption. Now, nearly two years down the line, the country is on the cusp of delisting after 'substantially completed' all 22 action items set out by the global watchdog. The announcement from the FATF Plenary in Strasbourg, France, marked a significant milestone for South Africa's beleaguered financial sector. The country now awaits an on-site verification visit — a final step before potential delisting at the next FATF Plenary in October 2025. 'This is not just about ticking boxes,' National Treasury said in a recently released statement. 'This is about rebuilding institutions hollowed out during years of state capture, and restoring credibility to our financial systems.' Yet while the technical progress has been lauded internationally, domestic critics warn that celebration may be premature — and that complacency could unravel everything. South Africa's greylisting in 2023 was more than a reputational blow; it was a financial reckoning. Banks faced higher correspondent banking costs, foreign investment slowed, and businesses were forced to navigate an increasingly complex and costly regulatory environment. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The legacy of state capture — under which law enforcement agencies were deliberately weakened — made the path to compliance long and arduous. But according to the FATF's latest communiqué: 'South Africa has demonstrated a sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering and the full range of terror financing activities in line with its risk profile.' That turnaround, according to officials, was only possible due to the relentless work of key institutions such as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI — alias Hawks), the State Security Agency (SSA), and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). 'Without their commitment, we would still be floundering,' read the Treasury statement. 'These are the same institutions that were targeted during the Zuma era. To see them rise again is nothing short of remarkable.' The FATF has confirmed that South Africa has met the technical requirements for delisting, but the final verdict rests with the FATF Africa Joint Group, which is set to conduct an on-site visit prior to the October 2025 Plenary. 'The Joint Group will verify that implementation of AML/CFT reforms has begun and is being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain implementation in the future,' stated the FATF on June 13. National Treasury confirmed that preparations for the visit were already underway. While Treasury paints a picture of institutional renewal, opposition parties remain deeply skeptical. The DA, now part of the Government of National Unity (GNU), has cautiously welcomed the FATF's upgrade of South Africa's progress but issued a warning against any complacency that could derail the country's full removal. 'While this is an important step, the DA cautions the NPA and our financial regulators against complacency,' DA Deputy Spokesperson on Finance Wendy Alexander said in a statement. 'Exiting the greylist remains subject to a site visit by the FATF ahead of the body's next plenary in October.' Alexander stressed that further delays would only deepen the damage. 'The longer South Africa stays on the greylist, the harder it will be for our banks to do business both domestically and internationally,' she warned, adding that a one-off effort would not be enough. 'Exiting and staying off the greylist requires not once-off window dressing, but sustained change and implementation.' South Africa shares the spotlight with several African nations making strides against financial crime. Mali and Tanzania have been officially delisted from the FATF greylist, while Nigeria, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso were also recognised for having substantially completed their respective action plans.
IOL News
10 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Beyond Missiles and Sanctions: The Currency War Behind the Iran Assault
As tensions escalate in the Middle East following Israel's recent actions, the underlying struggle for the US dollar's dominance in global trade becomes increasingly apparent. Image: IOL / Ron AI By Masibongwe Sihlahla As the world grapples with renewed conflict in the Middle East after Israel's cowardly and unprovoked attack on Friday 13 June last week, the framing of recent escalations with Iran as a nuclear non-proliferation issue is be missing the big picture. Beneath the diplomatic soundbites and military maneuvers lies a quieter but more existential struggle: the fight to preserve the US dollar's supremacy in global trade and contain China. For decades, the dollar has enjoyed near-monopoly status as the global reserve currency, granting the United States what French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing once called an "exorbitant privilege". This privilege enables the US to borrow at lower interest rates, print money to finance deficits, and weaponise the global financial system through sanctions and trade controls. This economic order faces its greatest threat yet and that is the rise of BRICS and the mounting wave of dedollarisation. Iran and the Strategic Pivot Iran, a long-standing critic of US foreign policy, has deepened trade relations with BRICS members, particularly China and Russia. By pricing its oil in yuan and diversifying its currency reserves, Tehran is actively undercutting the petrodollar framework that has undergirded American economic influence since the 1970s. Iran has also a few weeks back received the first direct train from China which can deliver goods from Iran especially oil in 18 days instead of 36 days via ship going through the heavily patrolled (by America's Seventh Fleet) Strait of Malacca. It goes without saying that saving 50%-60% transport time also translates into huge cost savings. It facilitates faster delivery of Chinese goods to Iran and onward to Europe, boosting trade efficiency and regional connectivity — this is where the rub lies as it bypasses any attempt by the USA Seventh or Fifth fleet for that matter to intimidate China and thus BRICS. So an attack on Iran by Israel must not be seen in isolation but with a geopolitical eye on the attempt to contain China. The potential consequences are monumental. If oil can be bought and sold in non-dollar denominations, a cornerstone of global dollar demand weakens. With less demand for U.S. Treasury securities, Washington could face higher borrowing costs and diminished leverage in international institutions like the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The Realignment Accelerates The war in Ukraine backfired on America and entrenched Russia further into the BRICS orbit, bolstered by China's growing clout and Brazil's pragmatic economic diplomacy. Western sanctions may have isolated Russia from some markets, but they also catalysed alternative systems—cross-border payment platforms, bilateral trade in national currencies, and talk of a BRICS common settlement unit. Iran's alignment with this axis isn't just a matter of political solidarity; it represents a pivot away from dollar-dependence. From India's use of rupees in oil trades to South Africa's backing of a multipolar financial system, the shift is gaining traction across the Global South. The last thing Biden did before exiting in December 2024 was to launch the Lobido Corridor as a countermeasure to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The Lobito Corridor is part of a broader Western-backed counter-BRICS initiative, including a $1.3 billion US-Angola infrastructure deal, to strengthen infrastructure and private investment in Africa, supported through programs like the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The aim was to undermine Chinese dominance of the critical metals supply chain such as Copper, Cobalt, Lithium, Tantalum(Coltan) especially as the highest priority. With the increased use of eDrones Americas military need a secure source of these minerals. Some of these minerals reach China via the railway corridor from Iran and thus it is essential that those those infrastructure benefitting China be destroyed, hence it is in this light that the devious attack on Iran by American proxy Israel can be explained. This infrastructure push by America aims to provide alternatives to China-led projects and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), countering China's growing influence through BRICS and related economic corridors. South Africa, as a founding BRICS member and a key regional power, is a crucial leverage point for expanding BRICS influence into Africa. The Lobito Corridor and related infrastructure projects signal efforts by the US and allies to offer competing development models and maintain influence in the region and it is clear the current Angola government has been bought lock, stock and barrel by the Americans and its allies. The recent diplomatic tensions and perceived 'insult' to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House can be seen as part of this broader geopolitical contest, reflecting friction over South Africa's leading role in BRICS and its strategic positioning between Western and Chinese spheres of influence. America's Geoeconomic Dilemma The US faces a dilemma: preserve dollar dominance through diplomatic engagement, or use hard power—military or financial—to deter alternatives. History suggests Washington is willing to project power to defend its economic architecture. But as dedollarisation efforts become decentralized and digitally nimble, the old levers lose some of their Iran, whether militarily or economically, may not just be about regime machinations but is intended to be a strategic strike on a key pillar of the dedollarisation front. A Global Rebalance in MotionWe are living through the slow dismantling of a unipolar order and as Prof Richard Wolff describes the decline of American Empire. The question is not whether dedollarisation will happen, but how—and at what cost to the current architects of global trade. For BRICS and its partners, this is a path toward sovereignty and away from American hegemony For Washington, it's the potential unraveling of its financial superpower status. And for the rest of the world, it could mean a future where no single currency holds the world hostage. * Masibongwe Sihlahla, Independent Writer, Political Commentator and Social Justice Activist. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
IOL News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Our Soil, Their War: How Ukraine, NATO and the DA Hijacked South Africa
Ukrainian military intelligence is reportedly conducting covert operations in South Africa, raising serious questions about the implications for national sovereignty and international relations. Image: IOL / Ron AI Last week I reported that Ukrainian military intelligence operatives are conducting clandestine activities in South Africa. Surveillance. Disruption of Russian linked logistics. Plans to attack Russian naval presence in Cape Town. These actions are carried out by GUR agents, foreign military operatives with protected diplomatic status, made legal under a visa agreement quietly ushered in by Democratic Alliance (DA) Minister Leon Schreiber in late 2024. The story broke through veteran Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. His article was not just a piece of reporting. It functioned as an official communique from the heart of the United States intelligence apparatus. Ignatius has long served as a narrative conduit for the CIA and Pentagon. When he singles out South Africa in an exposé about Ukrainian covert war, the implications are pointed. Yet the reaction from South Africa's leadership has been to bury their heads in the sand. No word from President Cyril Ramaphosa. No inquiry from Parliament. No comment from Minister of State Security Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. No diplomatic protest from Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola. No explanation from Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, a department now compromised by Democratic Alliance control. And so the questions remain. Who authorised the presence of a foreign military intelligence force in South Africa? What role did Ramaphosa play in allowing Ukraine to wage shadow warfare from our territory? Why has the state avoided even a minimal response? The GUR claimed they tracked the Lady R to Simon's Town in 2022 and alleged that arms were being transferred to Russia. They admitted to interfering with a Russian cargo flight and acknowledged that their agents contemplated an attack on the Smolnyy, a Russian naval ship docked in Cape Town. These are acts of hostility against a BRICS partner. They were conducted from within our borders. And they have gone unchallenged by the executive. The silence is coordinated. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading GUR chief Kyrylo Budanov has publicly declared Ukraine's mission to target Russian assets globally. He posed a rhetorical question to Ignatius: 'Why should Africa be an exception?' It wasn't a question. It was a threat veiled in smug certainty, certainty that the West's sphere of influence now includes South Africa. Ignatius's article performs a layered function. To Pretoria: You are being monitored. Your diplomatic alignments are under audit. The so called 'non aligned' position is seen as defiance, and defiance has consequences. To Moscow: Your partners are compromised. Your alliances in Africa are penetrable. Your backchannels can be severed at will. To Kyiv: Celebrate your reach, but stay within boundaries. The failed attempt to strike the Smolnyy is mentioned, but the narrative steers blame away from Washington. The mission was conceived in Kyiv, not coordinated through Langley. Deniability remains intact. Ignatius uses his platform to draw the blueprint for a global dirty war, a campaign of psychological and covert disruption dressed up as proactive defence. The framing legitimises a foreign military's activities in sovereign countries far from the battlefield. Africa is presented as free territory for geopolitical experimentation. Nowhere in his column does Ignatius interrogate the legality of these actions. He valorises GUR strikes in Mali and Central African Republic, including a drone attack that reportedly killed over 130 people. This is terrorism, not liberation. It is framed as righteous because it aligns with United States foreign policy. The Gaze, a Kyiv based media outlet tightly aligned with Ukrainian government messaging, amplified the South African aspects of the Ignatius story almost immediately. Its coverage read like a warning to Pretoria. The timing points to a coordinated narrative campaign, not a random editorial interest in Africa. The deeper objective becomes clear: push South Africa further from BRICS and closer to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) interests. Discredit its partnerships. Isolate its diplomatic independence. Expose the African National Congress (ANC)'s internal fractures and accelerate its ideological collapse. Mali Has Severed Diplomatic Ties With Ukraine And is Now Set To Ban Ukrainian Goods From Entering The Country. The decision follows allegations of Ukraine's intelligence support to rēbel groups behind several attācks on Malian Troops and Russian Wagner forces. — Africa Archives (@AfricaArchives_) June 17, 2025 Ramaphosa's silence is more than evasion. It may point to collaboration. His grooming by corporate capital in the 1970s positioned him as a long game candidate for imperial management. Phala Phala exposed a man entangled in quiet deals and unaccountable wealth. His presidency survives scandals that would sink others, because he remains useful. And with each silent concession, the idea of an ANC government dies a little more. The visa exemptions that granted Ukrainian agents access to our soil were signed under a Democratic Alliance controlled ministry. They became active under Ramaphosa's watch. There has been no reassessment of that agreement. No attempt to vet or restrict those entering. No safeguards against abuse. If Ukraine uses South African territory to target Russia, Pretoria becomes complicit. Under the United Nations Charter, this constitutes a breach of international peace. The consequences will not only be diplomatic. They will be structural. South Africa will be recast as a proxy zone in NATO's extended theatre. Its voice on global platforms will carry less weight. Its people will pay the price for elite submission. The Black working class has already seen how white capital benefits from chaos. Under a Democratic Alliance led administration, land reform will stall. Redistribution will be erased. Afrocentric education will vanish. Political resistance will be criminalised under new definitions of extremism. What was claimed back after apartheid will be recolonised before decolonisation ever begins. Black political movements—the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), African Transformation Movement (ATM), and others—must see this moment clearly. Fragmentation will ensure the fall. A revolutionary coalition must form, rooted in sovereignty and grounded in anti imperialist clarity. Otherwise, we hand our country to NATO's security architecture wrapped in DA branding. South Africa has become a chessboard. The pawns are moving. The king remains silent. The war has arrived quietly. And our government let it in with both hands. Ukrainian military intelligence is reportedly conducting covert operations in South Africa, raising serious questions about the implications for national sovereignty and international relations. Image: IOL
IOL News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
From Dialogue to Reckoning: What South Africa Needs Now
Thirty years into South Africa's democracy, we must move beyond superficial dialogue to a reckoning that addresses deep-rooted inequalities and demands real change, writes Faiez Jacobs. Image: IOL / Ron AI 'The People Shall Govern.' Not as metaphor, not as sentiment. As a promise. And a demand. Thirty years into our democracy, South Africa does not need another listening tour, another facilitated workshop, or another high-level roundtable with branded lanyards. We need something deeper. Something braver. Something long overdue. We need a reckoning. The recent announcement by President Ramaphosa that South Africa will convene a National Dialogue, coordinated through NEDLAC and guided by an 'Eminent Persons Group', has stirred predictable fanfare and deep scepticism. It is not the idea of dialogue that alarms us. It is the fact that, for too long, dialogue has been deployed in South Africa not to deliver justice, but to delay it. In place of delivery, we have convened. In place of structural change, we have moderated. In place of urgency, we have performed unity. We have been here before. And we cannot afford to be here again. A country built on dialogue but rarely on equal terms From Kliptown in 1955 to CODESA in 1991, South Africa's path to democracy was shaped by dialogue. But these moments were not equal meetings of minds they were unequal negotiations between a people in struggle and a regime in retreat. We must never forget that our political transition was never designed to dismantle all systems of power. It was a ceasefire, not a complete transformation. The elite pact that underpinned our 1994 breakthrough brought democratic rights but postponed economic redress. Today, those delays have caught up with us. We are the world's most unequal society. Millions of black South Africans still live under conditions that echo the structural geography of apartheid. Youth unemployment hovers above 60%. Public services are failing. State capture hollowed our institutions. Violence, corruption, and despair creep into the marrow of daily life. And in this fragile, fractured context, we are now asked again to talk. But before we do, we must ask: Who is asking for this dialogue? Why now? What for? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Dialogue, or Deflection? Let us be honest. Much of the dialogue proposed today risks becoming elite-driven spectaclea performance of inclusivity without power-sharing. A repackaging of reconciliation in times of political turbulence. A soft cushion against the hard edges of growing public rage. This new National Dialogue comes with high-profile names, big halls, logos and language like 'shared vision' and 'renewed compact.' But language is not justice. Logos do not build clinics. And dialogue without delivery breaks trust. The danger is not in talking. The danger is in pretending that talk is enough. Our Constitution already provides for participatory democracy. Parliament's committees, ward committees, SGB's, CPF's, RDP forums, municipal IDPs, Chapter 9 institutions all of these exist to facilitate public voice and state responsiveness. If we are serious about rebuilding national consensus, why not invest in strengthening those platforms rather than creating new ones? The answer is clear: we don't have a participation problem we have a delivery problem. We don't lack dialogue. We lack action. The Real Dialogue Happening Outside Power While government convenes its forums, real dialogue happens daily in the silence of broken clinics. In the queues at SASSA. In the burnt tyres of protest. In the quiet rage of mothers burying sons lost to gang bullets or hunger. That is the unscripted, unmoderated, rawdialogue of a society crying for repair, real hope, real change. To those who say this dialogue is necessary for cohesion: let us be clear. Cohesion cannot be built on inequality. Reconciliation cannot be revived while restitution is denied. Real unity requires more than slogans it requires justice that is seen and felt. And to those who say this dialogue is about the future: we say this the future cannot be imagined until the past is confronted. Until the unfinished business of our transition is faced head-on. That business is redistribution. Dignity. Work. Land. Reform. From National Dialogue to National Reckoning What South Africa needs now is not a dialogue. It is a Reckoning. A National Reckoning Plan time-bound, costed, public, and accountable. Here is what it would look like: 1. Corruption Accountability • Dedicated anti-corruption court. • Public progress dashboard updated quarterly. • No dialogue required. Just prosecutions. 2. Public Service Restoration • Professionalise the civil service. • Forensic audits across departments. Get rid of deed wood. Merit and competence based deployment. • Treasury-approved clean-up plan. No slogans needed. 3. Violence and Safety Compact • Dedicated gender-based violence units in all provinces. • Resourced SAPS precincts in crime hotspots. • Community-policing forums with real authority. • Measurable 3-year targets to reduce violence by 70%. 4. Land and Housing • Release state-owned land for housing and smallholder farming. • Title deeds for informal settlements. • Geospatial planning with public oversight. • Justice, not just consultation. 5. Youth Jobs and Township Economies • R10 billion fund for township infrastructure and small enterprise support. • Remove licensing red tape for spaza shops and street traders. • Localise procurement in municipalities. • Youth opportunity desks in every ward. 6. A Real Platform for the People • Strengthen Parliament's portfolio committees as dialogue forums. • Fund civic education, SGBs, and ward committees. • Turn Parliament into the true arena of people's voice not hotels and ballrooms. Dialogue Must Not Substitute Delivery Dialogue is not inherently dangerous. But dialogue without consequence is corrosive. It drains hope. It teaches citizens that participation is performance. That their voices are heard, but never acted upon. That engagement is a dead-end. The greatest threat to democracy is not apathy. It is the experience of being listened to but ignored. This time, there will be no Mandela to hold us together when we fail. This time, failure will explode. Not into civil war, but into permanent distrust, institutional erosion, and a vacuum that extremists, secessionists, and seditionists are already preparing to fill. What Must Be Done This National Dialogue, must be grounded in three non-negotiables: 1. Equal Participation No one should be asked to "participate" unless they are also being resourced, empowered, and heard. Give logistical and financial support to informal workers, rural voices, and youth collectives. 2. Binding Outcomes Every agreement must be costed, time-bound, and linked to implementation agents. We need deliverables, we need accountability, we need delivery, not declarations and leaders who are not only shocked and surprised. 3. Institutional Anchoring The dialogue must be tied into Parliament and the Executives and all levels, not orbitaround and away from it. All outcomes must flow into keeping elected leaders accountable from the top, our President, Ministers, Premiers, MEC's, Mayors, MMC's to councillors via committee work, legislative reform, and budget planning. Let's make Performance Management work and delivery real. The Real Dialogue is in Delivery Dialogue is not neutral. It either reinforces power or redistributes it. South Africans don't need to be heard again. They need to be answered. The ANC must not lead from caution or convenience. We must lead from courage. From conviction. And from truth. The promise of 1994 has been deferred too long. Now is the time to deliver on it not through words, but through work. Let us move from dialogue to reckoning. From performance to policy. From symbolism to substance. Let this be the generation that made justice real. Let this be the moment that reclaimed delivery as democracy. * Faiez Jacobs is a former Member of Parliament, political organiser, and strategic facilitator committed to inclusive governance, ethical leadership, and the renewal of South Africa's democratic promise. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. IOL Opinion
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Essential health tips for business travellers this flu season
The SA Medical Association shared a warning about rising flu cases across the country. For business travellers, this adds an important layer of risk to what might seem like a routine trip. Image: Ron AI IF you are a professional heading abroad for business this winter, there is more to think about than flights and meeting agendas. The SA Medical Association (Sama) recently shared a warning about rising flu cases across the country. For business travellers, this adds an important layer of risk to what might seem like a routine trip. It is currently winter, and South Africa is deep into its flu season, which, according to travel risk experts Global Rescue, is a key factor in increased health risks while travelling. Corporate Traveller, a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, said in a statement that while respiratory infections were present across the globe, the likelihood of catching something would spike in places with poor air quality and during peak flu periods. 'And peak flu periods would change depending on where you're going.' In the Southern Hemisphere, including South Africa, flu season typically runs from April to September. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is most active between October and March, while in tropical regions, influenza can circulate all year long. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'So, if you're jetting off to attend meetings in London, visit clients in Nairobi or attend a summit in New York, it's worth checking what flu activity is like at your destination,' read the statement. Corporate Traveller said travel itself would already place a strain on the body. Long hours, less sleep, high stress levels, packed itineraries and prolonged exposure in crowded environments — like airports, aeroplanes and business venues — create the perfect storm for respiratory illnesses to spread. 'It's no wonder why so many people find themselves under the weather halfway through a trip, and in a worst-case scenario, seriously ill while far from home.' Herman Heunes, the general manager of Corporate Traveller, said he believed that this was a conversation companies needed to prioritise with staff before they leave. 'It's important to check in with travellers about their current health, whether they've had their seasonal flu vaccination and if they have any pre-existing conditions that might put them at higher risk,' he said. According to the Journal of Travel Medicine, individuals at increased risk of influenza would include those at the extremes of age and those who are immunocompromised. Heunes also emphasised the importance of having proper travel health insurance. 'We've seen how unpredictable international travel can be, especially when health is involved. Ensuring your employees have the right insurance in place is just step one. Encouraging open dialogue about their well-being is just as critical,' he said. It is also worth noting that flu vaccinations can provide significant protection, not just for the traveller, but for everyone they come into contact with abroad and back home. Health experts recommend getting vaccinated at least two weeks before departure to give the body time to build immunity. For those travelling to the Northern Hemisphere later in the year, a second flu jab aligned to that region's seasonal strains might even be necessary. When employees get sick mid-trip, the ripple effects can be costly, from cancelled or postponed meetings to extended accommodation and return delays. Companies that depend on their teams to represent them globally cannot afford to overlook these very real risks. As Heunes aptly put it: 'There's a human side to business travel that we must not forget. Your traveller's health isn't a personal matter alone; it's part of your duty of care responsibility to them.'
