Last week saw the multinationals agreement in principle and the setting up of a committee to identify the issues and challenges surrounding the equity shareholding requirements in the ICT empowerment charter.

Journalists` work can seem admirable. But beneath the polished words often lurk a brittle ego, scandalous prejudice, appalling hypocrisy or plain pretentiousness.

Although Vodacom claims its exit from Nigeria was due to "breach of trust", one has to ask whether EWI`s various court cases played a role in its sudden withdrawal.

I was recently given reason to eat my words about the municipality, which has in fact, turned around its billing system and customer services, despite my conviction to the contrary.

Last week saw Vodacom withdraw its management contract with Vee Networks and the communications minister grant four underserviced area licences.

Vodacom is proud of the uptake of its new Look4me service. But I`m not convinced that 40 000 subscribers represent a huge success story.

Last week saw Iocore sell-off its SAP and Oracle divisions, and Deutsche Telekom`s $2.5 billion mobile network deal in the US.

For all the mileage SA gets from its political victories, we remain, in the words of Douglas Adams, "mostly harmless".

The apprentice has outstripped the master, as evidenced by the inefficiencies of a company to which the Johannesburg municipality has outsourced its services.

Last week saw the $1.9 billion acquisition of AFC by Tellabs and two other $1 billion+ acquisitions in the telecommunications sector.

There`s no shame in not wanting to look. The past week proved that the Internet can be a dangerous, venal, petty and occasionally disgusting place.

The use of digital photography and the Internet to spread images of torture and execution are unlikely to change the nature of war - just our perception of it.