2. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel says he is willing to carry on in his post if asked by the country’s new president, although he could not “carry on forever”. Read the story at Business Day here. There are rumours in the political journalism circles that JZ may ask him to be deputy president. It would be a wily move (and Zuma is a canny old fox) but would Trev, whose number four on the ANC list, accept?

3. Business Day also reports that retail figures fell a record 4.5% in February, much more steeply than expected. Retail is the third biggest sector in SA and this could mean another rate cut at the Reserve Bank’s policy meeting at the end of April. Read the story here.

4. Here’s an interesting business story. South African construction giant  Murray & Roberts has pulled out of a R5-billion contract in Dubai, bringing its cancelled order book in the Middle East and elsewhere to R20-billion. Read the Engineering News story here. M&R doesn’t play around and its CEO is highly regarded so my guess is that they’re making so much hay while the sun shines with 2010 contruction in SA (for example, the Gautrain) that they don’t need the hassle of Dubai.

5. Talk about putting it out there. The Sowetan reports that Gauteng Health MEC Brian Hlongwa says he is so rich (from his consulting firm) he does his job for the love of the poor. This after the accusations that he could not afford his R7.2-million Joburg mansion on his salary. Glory be, we wish our next president could find himself gainful employment (perhaps with Hlongwa) so that we can all stop being suspicious about whose bankrolling him while in office. Read the Sowetan story here.