The World Competitive Yearbook 2002 recently rated South Africa's competitiveness as 39 out of 49 countries - up three places from last year's 42nd position. Good going! During 2001 our country had moved up one slot.
South Africa is the only African country to be included in the ratings and has moved ahead of important rival India, which is now in 42nd place. Just ahead of South Africa is Slovenia, with the USA in first position and Argentina in 49th place. On a less positive note, South Africa is stone last in unemployment, brain drain, economic literacy, race and gender discrimination and interest in science and technology.
This latter disinterest in the sciences is highly evident in the registration figures at our universities. A quick phone around to some of the major institutions showed a typical enrolment into the sciences of a meagre 23%. Faculties such as finance, law and humanities feature high on the popularity stakes. These figures make one wonder how long it will take before our education ministry begins to actively promote the sciences.
The recent spate of public holidays once again highlighted the need for some clear and rational thought on the spacing of our public holidays. In approximately two months, business was subjected to three 4-day working weeks with five public holidays. Do not get me wrong, I also appreciate a public holiday, but do they all have to be crammed into a select period of the year?
I would suggest that our 12 public holidays could be nicely spread across the 12 months of the year. And if the holidays were always placed on a Monday or a Friday, it would help prevent the decimation of a week when the holiday fell on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. For example: I am sure that most people would be quite amenable to celebrating Heritage Day on the last Friday on September, rather than strictly observing 24 September.
This month's environmental control feature, together with the onset of winter once again begs the question, 'Why do South Africans not take energy conservation seriously?' For some strange reason very few buildings are ever constructed with double-glazed windows, let alone any decent thermal insulation - let us not even mention building automation. Drive through the major business centres of our cities at night and you will see many buildings that are still well lit and operational, despite there being nobody working in the buildings. Perhaps our recalcitrance has to do with South African electricity still being the cheapest in the world? At some stage the cost of power, both economic and environmental, is going to catch up with us. Let us hope that we wake up to this reality before we are caught with our pants down, and very cold butts!
On this note, it is rather ironic that August will see Johannesburg host the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Between 60 and 80 000 delegates, and more than 100 heads of state are due to descend on Sandton - remind me to emigrate mid-August. The logistics boggle the mind - just work out how these 60 000 extra people are going to squeeze in and out of Johannesburg airport over roughly seven days. Anyone that has recently run the gauntlet of Johannesburg Airport on a Friday night will understand the need to stay well away during the summit!
Graeme Bell
Editor, SA Instrumentation & Control
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