If government accepts this form of charter, it will set a precedent that, one would think, many sectors would like to emulate as it is likely to lessen or remove the equity obligation which other charters contain in line with government's scorecard.

On the export front, meanwhile, Africa's roads are increasingly being built by Europeans, Chinese and Americans, as South African construction companies pull back their resources from north of the Limpopo.

Even the biggest construction company in SA, Aveng, is slashing its commitment to its road-building ventures in Africa, after getting its fingers painfully burnt recently on three big roads projects.