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Posted on October 1st, 2008 by Tera Warner
When an industry such as gaming is thriving in a particular country, it shows consumer confidence and evidence of disposable income. These are two very good qualities for South Africa to embrace and display. Another example of the success of South Africa casinos is the expansion of Gold Reef City Casino. Gold Reef will be spending more than a year developing and redoing their facilities. The new facility will have a different feel and many new games to explore and conquer. Hopefully, this will be a profitable investment for the casino.
It is amazing that in the short span of four years, South Africa has been able to create a casino industry where none existed previously. Currently, there are 28 casinos in the country. The legal limit for casino licenses in South Africa is 40, but it will take quite a while for this limit to be reached. There are at least six casinos in the making at the present time. The creation of the casino industry has been a great economic booster for the country. Thousands of jobs have been created for South African residents where none existed before, and the tourism infrastructure has expanded tremendously, as well. Also, there has been a program developed by the gaming industry to handle problem gambling. Although problem gambling is discouraged, it is best to have a proactive plan in place if this does occur. Besides land casinos in South Africa, there is also a strong array of online casinos. Online casinos are not available at any of the casino land sites, and there are definitely some gamblers who prefer Internet gambling to anything else. Currently, Piggs Peak Casino is the most popular online casino in South Africa. On this site, there are over 100 games to choose from and lots of opportunities to win money. Blackjack and slots are just two examples of online games available through South Africa casinos.
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Posted on September 12th, 2008 by Fred Peters
The trend towards direct insurance has certainly taken off in significant fashion, and insurance companies like Dial Direct Insurance have been taking good advantage with their innovative approach to the insurance market and the insurance consumer in the street. The idea behind direct insurance is that costs can be cut and administrative red tape eliminated, or at least reduced, by cutting out the network of brokers when buying insurance. No longer is it necessary for insurance clients to deal with third party brokers who act as go-betweens between the insurance service providers and administrators and the consumers. Direct insurance removes this middle man element and allows the two entities to communicate directly.
Dial Direct is a leader in the South African direct insurance market. It has a 10-year long track record and is underwritten by its holding company in the UK, allowing it to ensure customers of a solid financial foundation for their insurance policies, which is a great source of peace of mind. Dial Direct South Africa uses advanced call centre technology and highly trained operators to allow customers to simply call in and arrange all their insurance needs, quickly and with a minimum of fuss. There aren’t even any forms to be filled in. Alternatively, prospective clients can go to the Dial Direct web site and apply for insurance online, with the same quick turnaround times and professional, personalized service. Everything is streamlined to make acquiring insurance as simple and trouble-free as possible. This type of direct insurance is offered across the board - in terms of short term insurance at least. There is household insurance, which includes buildings; motor vehicle insurance, including leisure vehicles like caravans and water craft; business insurance; and insurance for professionals and practitioners. These include standard out the box product packages as well as tailored insurance solutions.
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Posted on August 22nd, 2008 by Wolfgang Jaegel
South Africans were advised to be frugal by leading economists due to rapidly rising prices of food and fuel , lofty interest rates and the inflation which rose above nine percent in February, the highest in the last five years , which added to speculation the central bank may resume raising interest rates. The Reserve Bank’s four interest rate increases last year failed to bring inflation back within the 3 percent to 6 percent target range. The rand’s 15 percent slump against the dollar this year and a proposed 60 percent increase in electricity costs threatens to keep inflation above the target.
The Reserve Bank’s credibility is at stake. The inflation numbers may be too dramatic for them to do nothing. This is further confirmed by Governor Mboweni’s prediction that the drop in value of the Rand will hold inflation above the usual for a longer time than expected. Since the central bank predicted that the interest rate would start dropping down within acceptable range after the first quarter of 2008 and we seem to be going in the opposite direction that is not helping the Reserve’s reputation or credibility. The main reason for the current food inflation is a high global demand for wheat products, which puts an upward bias on local food prices. Other factors include grains, biofuel production and the demand for protein feed. The increase in gasoline prices is largely due to increased demand from countries such as China and India and this is likely to continue. So what can the individual man or woman in South Africa do in order to survive these turbulent financial times? Well that is a broad question and there is no one quick fix. There are many smaller solutions. One would be foolish to expect the answer to fall from the sky or from the oil corporations or from the government. It is up to individual problem solving and grassroots movements of new technologies.
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Filed under: Business
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Posted on July 30th, 2008 by Gregg Hall
Cape Town is vast and beautiful land, rich in indigenous flora, untamed wildlife and a vast array of geographical climates and landscapes. Whether you’re enjoying the Mediterranean climate of Cape Town’s coastline or wandering through banana plantations in the balmy KwaZulu Natal; exploring bushman paintings in the caves of the Cedarburg or throwing snowballs on the slopes of the Drakesnberg; paddle skiing off the West Coast among dolphins or sleeping under the stars in the semi-arid Karoo, - the land will amaze you with its spectacular diversity.
If you’re looking for real, old fashioned adventure - be it on your own, Jack Kerouac-style, with a partner for romance on the road, or a family vacation that will live on in your children’s memories for years, consider a Campervan holiday in South Africa. There are around 800 registered camp and caravan sites across the country, which allow Campervans or Motorhomes as they are also called to make use of their facilities. You can go all the way from Mpumalanga to Muizenberg with no two nights spent in the same place, or take things slower, driving along the quieter roads such as Rout 62 and stopping along the way to smell the daisies, photograph the sunsets and drink the moer-coffee brewed the way the true South African farmer prefers.
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Filed under: Travel
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Posted on July 2nd, 2008 by Jill Andrus
The critical illness insurance market in South Africa may have been a significant one in the history of critical illness insurance. Critical illness insurance had been an origin of South Africa and was gradually propagated around the world. Nowadays, critical illness cover can be considered as one of the most sought insurance policies worldwide. According to Munich Re, 2000, the extent of life policies accelerated with critical illness may have been in decrease these days.
Insurers may have encountered another problem after the introduction of critical illness cover in South Africa. There had been an elevated number of claims recorded soon after the start of policies. As the majority of early claims mat have been for multiple sclerosis and cancer, it may be assumed that many people self diagnosed the disease before buying a critical illness cover. As a matter of fact, underwriting may have thus been unable to unveil these illnesses. The claims may have therefore been rejected. As a measure of precaution, some policies had included a waiting period. The waiting period may disallow payments to be made quickly. Some waiting period may even reach around six months and can also be applied to specific illnesses like cancer and multiple sclerosis. There may have been a relative downfall in critical illness insurance in the South African insurance market. People have discovered about the MME. But is the amount of cover as significant as with critical illness cover? A vital point still remains that critical illness cover may not only save one’s life but may also help to accommodate the person and his family with his changed lifestyle.
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