Canadians tell S Africa to pull socks up.

The South African government has come under heavy fire from a Canadian business organisation for incompetence and shortsightedness. Canada-South Africa Chamber of Business president Bruce Shapiro told the African Mining Congress 2008 in Johannesburg that the country's leadership "is incompetent" and the energy crisis was of its own making, bringing immense financial damage. He also flayed the government's handling of South Africa's crime epidemic, dwindling water supplies, bureaucratic red tape and skills shortages. The Canadian chamber helps members develop business interests in South Africa.