Five things you need to know about SA today

1. For all of you who applied for the “best job in the world” (i.e. to be a slacker on an inland in the Great Barrier Reef, and blog about it), it has gone to Ben Southall, a British charity worker. He went up against 34 000 applicants from across the world and starts the job on July 1. Click here to read the full story at The Australian newspaper and view his video application.
And here’s a vid (below) of the cocky little Brit accepting the job:

2. In the markets, investors act according to what they believe other people believe what others believe. That’s why they call it “sentiment”. So here’s an interesting peak into how SA fits into the global economy. Business Day reports that the rand has become the top performing currency this year after appreciating 15% to R8.26 to the dollar. The reason for this is that investors are looking to export-driven economies as they are ready to take on some risk. Why? Because they are more confident about the US housing market and banking sector. Further, Chinese manufacturing data shows they might be wanting more commodities (and that’s where we fit in as SA exports things like steel to China in the ship loads.) Read the full story here.

3.  The fourth democratic Parliament will swear in 400 MPs in the National Assembly in Cape Town today.

4. And, here’s the surprise: IOL says that Deputy Speaker of Parliament Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge has resigned a day before she was due to be sworn in again as an MP and less than a week after it was announced that she would be the new ANC caucus chairperson. Remember she was axed as deputy health minister by Thabo Mbeki after she spoke out after the Daily Dispatch’s Frere Hospital expose. She has been seen as a rising star in Zuma’s camp and is an influential SACP member but it seems that she has her sights set on being the Speaker of Parliament. Read the full story here. I think that’s a shame as the Speaker’s job has always seemed a bit perfunctory to me and Madlala-Routledge could be better used elsewhere.

5. The Times has an interesting story saying that BEE businessman Tokyo Sexwale is suggesting that Zuma serve two terms. Hmm, What gives, here? We all know Sexwale has presidential ambitions. Read the story by clicking here.

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